Subasta Bidspirit | Talmud Bavli – Basel, 1578-1581

Talmud Bavli – Basel, 1578-1581 – Incomplete Set in Twenty-Five Volumes - Talmud Bavli, with commentaries of Rashi, Tosafot, Piskei Tosafot, Rambam's commentary on the Mishnah, and more. Basel: Ambrosius Froben, 1578-1581. Incomplete set, 28 parts (of 44), in 25 volumes (several tractates are duplicated or complementary; see detailed list below). Partial set, comprising most volumes of the Talmud Bavli printed in Basel in 1578-1581. During these years, a complete edition of the Talmud Bavli was printed in Basel, excluding Tractate Avodah Zarah (which was omitted in its entirety by the censor). The Talmudic text in this edition is based on the Bomberg Talmud, but also includes the additions printed in Giustiniani's edition (Venice, 1546-1551). This edition was printed in the face of a dearth of Talmud volumes, as a result of a conflict between the printers Giustiniani and Bragadin, as well as the events that eventually culminated in the burning of the Talmud, and a longstanding prohibition on printing the Talmud in Italy. The printing of this edition was initiated and funded by R. Simon Günzburg zur Gemse of Frankfurt am Main (d. ca. 1582) and his uncle Simon von Günzburg a. d. Donau of Günzburg, Bavaria (1506-1585). The proofreader and printer Yisrael Zifroni of Guastalla was entrusted with editing the edition, after Froben recognized the need for a printer familiar with the Hebrew language for a project of such a large scope. Most of the main title pages bear a Latin notice by the censor, with the tractate's name, contents and other information. This notice is printed in different variations, at times mentioning the name of the main censor of this edition, the famous censor Marco Marini (1542-1594). The Talmudic text was meticulously censored by Marini, who omitted or revised many passages, along with standard variations: the Talmud became the Gemara or Shas (for instance, Masoret HaTalmud became Masoret HaShas), ”gentile” was replaced with ”Cuthean”, the word for ”apostate” was changed from Meshumad to Mumar, and more (these changes were reproduced in later editions). Rambam's commentary on the Mishnah is printed inconsistently in this edition: in four cases the commentary is printed on an entire order of the Mishnah at once, with a divisional title page, as a standalone volume; while in other tractates, the commentary of the Rambam follows the text of the Talmud (sometimes with a divisional title page or half-title), or on the margins of the leaf (in the case of Tractates Middot and Shekalim). The volumes in the present set are as follows: • Berachot and Mishnah Seder Zeraim. Basel, 1579. • Pesachim. Basel, 1579. • Mishnah Tractate Shekalim. Basel, 1580. • Yoma. Basel, 1580. Two copies (one copy lacking title page, another complete but quite defective copy). • Taanit. Basel, 1579. • Chagigah. Basel, 1579. • Mishnah Seder Moed. Basel, 1579. • Yevamot. Basel, 1579. • Ketubot. Basel, 1581. Title page lacking (as in the copy recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book). • Nedarim, Nazir. Basel, 1579-1580. • Sotah. Basel, 1579. • Kiddushin. Basel, 1579. • Mishnah Eduyot, and Tractate Horayot. Basel, 1578-1580. This tractate was the first to be printed in this edition, along with Tractate Bava Kama (which is not included in the present set). • Tractates Sofrim, Semachot, Kallah, Derech Eretz Rabbah, Derech Eretz Zuta and Avot DeRabbi Natan. Basel, 1580. • Zevachim. Basel, 1579. • Menachot. Basel, 1579. • Chullin. Basel, 1579. • Bechorot. Basel, 1579. • Arachin. Basel, 1580. • Temurah. Basel, 1580. • Me'ilah, Kinnim, Middot and Tamid. Basel, 1580. Ownership inscription on title page: ”I purchased it in honor of my master and maker, Shmuel son of R. Meir, sofer”. • Keretot. Basel, 1580. Bound with additional copies of Tractates Zevachim, Arachin, Temurah, Me'ilah, Kinnim, Middot and Tamid. • Niddah. Basel, 1580. • Mishnah Seder Taharot. Basel, 1580. The volumes feature signatures and ownership inscriptions, as well as glosses by various writers. These include: Many signatures of the Chalfin (Chalfan/Chalfon) family and others in the Berachot and Zeraim volume. Ownership inscription in Taanit volume: ”I purchased this Gemara from the official and Torah scholar R. Natan son of the community leader Zalman Kohen, and in order that no one come from the marketplace saying it's his, I signed my name, Yehudah Bacharach, 1717”; and other inscriptions and signatures. 25 volumes. • Berachot and Seder Zeraim: 69, 24 leaves; 86, 5, [1] leaves. • Pesachim: 6, 8-15, 17-135, 137-138 leaves. Lacking leaves 7, 16. • Shekalim: 12 leaves. • Yoma: 93 leaves. Second copy: 2-93 leaves, [1] blank leaf. Lacking title page. • Taanit: 31; 6 leaves. • Chagigah: 27 leaves. • Mishnah Moed: 53 leaves, [1] blank leaf. • Yevamot: 134; 22 leaves. • Ketubot: 2-94, 97-112 leaves. Lacking title page, leaves 95-96, 113-115 at end, and 36 leaves (with Rosh). • Nedarim, Nazir: 108, 110-120 leaves, [1] blank leaf; 77 leaves,