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Rare Antique Hebrew Book: Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel with Rashi and Yiddish Translation

Lot 37: Rare Antique Hebrew Book: Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel with Rashi and Yiddish Translation

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Start price: £100

Buyer's premium:

A historic, well-used volume of the Latter Prophets, featuring remarkable historical ownership marks from the pre-War Jewish community of Hungary.

This unique auction lot presents a single volume from an antique Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), containing the books of Isaiah ישעיה, Jeremiah ירמיה, and Ezekiel יחזקאל from the Nevi’im Acharonim (Latter Prophets).

Key Features:

  • Content: A comprehensive edition featuring the Hebrew Biblical text surrounded by the classic commentary of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), along with a Yiddish translation/commentary (known as Targum Ivri-Teitch or similar), making it a valuable study aid for generations past.
  • Period & Print Style: While the title page is missing, the typeface, layout, and paper quality suggest a printing from the late 19th or very early 20th century, likely in Central or Eastern Europe. The book features the classic, densely packed typography typical of the era.
  • Historic Provenance (Stamps): The book carries immense historical value due to the presence of an ownership stamp, repeated in several places, identifying it as belonging to CONGREGATION YETEV LEV IN GROSVARDEIN (NAGYVÁRAD), HUNGARY This stamp directly ties the volume to a specific, prominent Jewish community that was largely destroyed in the Holocaust, making it a moving and tangible piece of pre-war European Jewish history.
  • Unique Annotations: The endpapers and flyleaves are filled with numerous, though difficult-to-decipher, handwritten signatures and inscriptions. These annotations provide compelling evidence of the book’s long history of use and the individuals who studied from it over many decades.

There is also a little poem at the end of Isaiah


Condition report:

The book\'s condition reflects its age and extensive use as a cherished communal or personal study text:


  • Wear and Tear: The volume is visibly aged. The pages show tanning, darkening at the edges, and minor folds. There are signs of previous restoration efforts, including some pages being reinforced with tape.
  • Binding: The binding is used, but the book holds together.
  • Text Integrity: While no pages are missing, some pages show evidence of misaligned printing or trimming during production, resulting in minor portions of letters being cut off at the extreme top or bottom edge of some pages.
  • Damage: The last page (the colophon or final text page) is worn and has some text missing due to being old and delicate.