Subasta Bidspirit | Miniature Siddur – Amsterdam, 1739

Miniature Siddur – Amsterdam, 1739 – Fine Copy in Original Leather Binding – Variant - Year-round siddur, following the Sephardic rite – siddur for weekdays, Shabbat and festivals. Amsterdam: Naftali Hertz Levi, [1739]. Miniature format, especially small. Fine copy, in original leather binding, with gilt decorations. Divisional title page for festival prayers on leaf 223. 219, [2], 220-318 leaves. Leaves 17-24 bound out of order. Approx. 6 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Stains. Marginal tears and open tears to several leaves, slightly affecting text. Original leather binding, with minor defects. Cardboard slipcase. Several variants are recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book (listing 306843). In the present copy, another title page of the siddur is bound between leaves 219-220, but with several variants: the first mentions the printer as ”Naftali Hertz Levi” and the publisher as ”Tzemach, Yaakov, David, sons of R. Meir Crescas”, with an introduction signed by R. Meir Crescas on verso: ”I have seen a miniature siddur in Amsterdam with small, unvocalized lettering, which the youngsters cannot read while praying. I felt their discomfort and have printed this siddur… in a small volume, the like of which has never been printed, in small, thin letters with new and beautiful vowels…”. The second title page (bound between leaves 219-220) does not mention Crescas, and the same introduction is signed by Naftali Hertz Levi Rofe. The reason behind the discrepancy is that the book was printed by Naftali Hertz Levi Rofe, but R. Meir Crescas purchased several copies, to which he appended a different title page mentioning his sons, with his signature after the publisher's introduction. Some copies are also bound, probably by mistake, with the original title page mentioning Naftali Hertz Levi. See: R. D. Barnett (ed.), Catalogue of the Permanent and Loan Collections of the Jewish Museum, London, London 1974, p. 117. The present copy has another leaf bound after the second title page between leaves 219-20 (foliated as 5, but identical to leaf 6 of first sequence; this variation is not mentioned in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book). Provenance: Collection of Mozes Heiman Gans.