Bidspirit auction | BOMBERG TALMUD. ARACHIN. TRACTATE ARAKHIN,

BOMBERG TALMUD. ARACHIN. TRACTATE ARAKHIN, Venice, Daniel Bomberg, 1528. Second Bomberg Edition - A complete copy of Masekhet Arakhin from Daniel Bomberg's second edition of the Babylonian Talmud, printed in Venice in 1528, only a few years after the completion of Bomberg's celebrated first Talmud. Bomberg's printing of the Talmud was one of the transformative events in the history of the Hebrew book. His first complete edition established the page architecture that would become virtually inseparable from the study of Gemara: the Talmudic text surrounded by Rashi and Tosafot, arranged on the folio and ultimately standardized into the familiar daf. The second Bomberg edition, to which the present tractate belongs, followed shortly thereafter and continued the typographical form that became the enduring visual language of the printed Talmud. Arakhin was first issued by Bomberg in 1522; the present second printing appeared in 1528. The opening folio is particularly handsome, with the first word הכל printed in a large ornamental woodcut initial. The margins preserve traces of the book's long life in study: an early reader occasionally supplied folio references where Rashi cites passages elsewhere in the Talmud. Several early owners also left their marks. At the head of fol. 2a appears the ownership inscription משה בכ”ר יצחק הלוי. Another name is inscribed in the margin of fol. 12a. Of particular interest is the endleaf, which contains inscriptions including the name משה בן נסים, manuscript calculations and tallies, and two striking, nearly identical elaborate calligraphic signatures, their owner presently unidentified. The unusual signatures, constructed as intricate ornamental devices rather than ordinary cursive subscriptions, are characteristic of the elaborate signature culture encountered in Sephardic and Ottoman Hebrew manuscripts and books. 35 leaves. Complete, including title page. Title page reinforced at the binding and adhered to an inserted supporting leaf, restricting its opening. Fol. 2 partially separated from the binding along the inner margin, though remaining attached. Some age staining throughout. Minor tear to outer margin of fol. 14; several other minor marginal tears repaired. Occasional early manuscript reference notes. Modern burgundy quarter-leather binding over matching cloth boards, raised bands and gilt spine lettering. A generally well-preserved complete copy of an early Bomberg Talmud tractate. Provenance : The distinguished library of Mr. Marvin Shick, a prominent scholar, communal figure, and discerning collector whose library reflected a lifetime of dedication to classical Jewish learning and heritage.