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Judaica and Hasidic Books and Manuscripts

Lot 38:

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Extremely Rare London-Printed Standalone Yiddish/Hebrew Book (Tehillim & Prophets) — 1823

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Start price: £160

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Description

A historic 19th-century volume printed in London, featuring the full text of Psalms and the Latter Prophets, uniquely rendered in Yiddish and Rashi Script.


  • Important Standalone Publication: Crucially, this work was issued by the publisher entirely as a standalone, dedicated volume. It is not a stray volume broken off from a complete Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) set, nor was it ever part of a multi-volume series. It was explicitly printed and bound in this exact self-contained format for targeted devotional study and prayer.
  • Content: Contains the complete Book of Psalms (Tehillim / תהלים) followed by the Latter Prophets (Nevi’im Acharonim / נביאים אחרונים): Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. The volume features prominent internal section title headers, such as The Prophecy of Isaiah (דיא פראפעטען – דער פראפעט ישעיהו) and The Prophecy of Jeremiah (ירמיה א), separating the sacred texts.
  • Print Origin & Date: Printed in London in the year 1823, as noted on the title page: "Gedruckt Bey A. Macintosh, Great New Street" (Printed by A. Macintosh, Great New Street).
  • Language & Script: The primary text and commentary are rendered in Yiddish (Ivri-Teitch or Judeo-German), written using a distinctive, clear Rashi Script typeface. This layout was highly popular for devotional books intended for broad community readership among Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants residing in London in the early 1800s.
  • Rarity: Finding an early 19th-century London imprint explicitly targeted at Yiddish-speaking Anglo-Jewry is uncommon. Its survival as a complete, intentionally standalone single-volume printing makes it an exceptionally scarce find for collectors of antique Anglo-Jewish literature and European Judaica.
  • Provenance: The front endpaper bears a distinct, original handwritten ink ownership inscription reading "W. Dutch" paired with the early date of "November 14, 1839", establishing an early, documented history just 16 years after its publication.

Condition report:

Status: Antique Item in Fair to Good Collectible Condition for its nearly 200 years of age.


Binding: Housed in its original full brown leather binding. The leather is intact but exhibits heavy wear, scuffing, and rubbing consistent with over two centuries of handling. The back board is firmly attached, while the upper joint shows split-lifting. The spine exhibits minor surface loss and retains a partially preserved, printed historical paper label reading "תהלים אונד נביאים אחרונים / IN GERMAN".

Interior: Complete with all pages present, including the essential main title page and early endpapers. Leaves display uniform natural age-browning, historic foxing, and minor corner handling stains. The text block remains stable, the ink is crisp, and all text remains fully legible throughout.