Responsa Tashbetz – Original "Fish-Skin" Binding – First Edition – Amsterdam, 1738 – Glosses

Responsa Tashbetz – Original "Fish-Skin" Binding – First Edition – Amsterdam, 1738 – Glosses
Tashbetz, all four parts, responsa and Chut HaMeshulash. Amsterdam, 1738. First edition, with four title pages – main title within engraved border depicting the figures of Moshe and Aharon, David and Shlomo.
Owner's stamps: "Avraham Azriel" (a Sephardic Torah scholar in Jerusalem). A few glosses in Sephardic script. Deleted Sephardic signatures on the first title page.
Reputedly, the author, R. Shimon son of Tzemach Duran, merited to have his books beautifully printed and bound in fine, elegant bindings in virtue of his practice to cover his open books with a magnificent kerchief (R. Yitzchak Palachi, Yafeh LaLev, III, Yoreh De'ah 277:3). Furthermore, it is told that he deeply respected his holy books and would clean them daily with a silk cloth (S.Y. Agnon, Sefer Sofer VeSipur, p. 152, related by R. Eliezerov in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch; N. Ben Menachem, Gevilei Sefarim, pp. 11-12, related by R. Zevin in the name of the Rebbe Rashab of Lubavitch). Interestingly, all the copies of this book which are bound with original bindings were artistically handcrafted and beautifully decorated, with no two copies identical. Most original bindings were made of fine mottled parchment, or a combination of leather and parchment (which some librarians mistook as "fish skin").
[11], 91; 69, [1]; 68, [1]; [1], 36, [2], 39-83; [1], 85-101, [1] leaves. 31.5 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Minor tears to several leaves. Worming to several leaves, affecting text. Original light-colored parchment binding, artistically decorated. Damage to binding. Open tears to spine (rebacked with parchment and part of original spine).
This edition has several variants that differ in the number of title pages. Some copies are known to have seven title pages (and even eight, see Kedem Auction 59, item 88), and some, like this copy, were printed with only four title pages (see Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, and see article by Dan and Gita Yardeni, Alei Sefer, X, pp. 119-132).