A Sign and a Witness: 2,000 Years of Hebrew Books and Illuminated Manuscripts

New York: New York Public Library; Oxford University Press, 1989. xiii, 223 pages, illustrations (some colour); 30 cm. Studies in Jewish History. Published in conjunction with an international exhibition, held at the New York Public Library, October 15, 1988 to January 14, 1989. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Light edgewear to wraps, age toning. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by arrangement. Profusely illustrated. "Appearing on the occasion of The New York Public Library's exhibition of the Hebrew book from antiquity to modern times, this beautifully illustrated volume will serve both as a preparation for viewing the exhibition (October 15, 1988 to January 14, 1989) and as a guide to further inquiry into the subject. Depicting the history and development of the making and distributing of Hebrew books from the Dead Sea Scrolls to modern times, this collection of essays and 100 illustrations (30 of them in color) examines, in a historical and cultural context, such topics as the decoration of Hebrew manuscripts, the origins of Hebrew printing, the Hebrew book in Christian Europe, translation into and out of Hebrew throughout the ages, and modern publishing. The contributors, all experts in their fields, share their knowledge in a manner that orients the novice, as well as informs the specialist. Many of the contributors offer new information, and some make material available for the first time in English. The volume includes such highlights as Frank Moore Cross' examination of the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for the study of the Hebrew Bible; Mordecai Glatzer's investigation of hitherto unexplored aspects of the first Hebrew printed books; Michael Grunberger's description of the complementary roles that publishers and authors played in nurturing the renascent Hebrew literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; David Ruderman's exploration of Christian ambivalence towards the Jews and their literature; and Chaim Potok's reflections on how certain Hebrew books have greatly influenced his own writing. Taken together, the essays in A Sign and a Witness treat the Hebrew book both as form and content. The volume reflects two themes in tension: the fundamental importance of the Hebrew book in itself, and the Hebrew book's role as a vehicle in the international traffic of ideas and meeting of cultures. / Leonard Singer Gold is Dorot Chief Librarian of the Jewish Division and Bibliographer in Jewish Studies at The New York Public Library." - Publisher. CONTENTS: The Dead Sea scrolls: light on the text and canon of the Bible, by Frank Moore Cross; How Hebrew manuscripts are made, by Malachi Beit-Arie´; The decoration of medieval Hebrew manuscripts, by Evelyn M. Cohen; The Hebrew manuscript as source for the study of history and literature, by Menahem Schmelzer; Forming the great collections, by Joseph Gutmann; Early Hebrew printing, by Mordechai Glatzer; The development of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, by Moshe N. Rosenfeld; The Hebrew book in a Christian world, by David B. Ruderman; Publishing and the rise of modern Hebrew literature, by Michael W. Grunberger; The art of the Hebrew book in the twentieth century, by Leila Avrin; Between Western culture and Jewish tradition: translations to and from Hebrew, by Robert Singerman; Text and texture: early adventures in the fourth dimension, by Chaim Potok.. 1st. Paperback. Very Good. 4to.