Details
The most popular work ever printed in Ladino:
Me-am Lo'ez on the Pentateuch.
Bible. Ethico-homiletical commentaries in Ladino on the five books of the Pentateuch, by Jacob Culi, Isaac ben Moses Magriso and Isaac Behar Arguëti.
Constantinople, 1733-72, 32 x 20 cm.
Of utmost rarity. Six volumes rather tightly bound in modern black silver- and gold-tooled (Numbers) bindings.
I: Genesis, second edition, pr. in 1748 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Jacob Culi, 274 fols., title within decorated frame, browning, staining, worming, several tears and repairs, occasionally affecting text, frayed edges, made-up, other flaws, with manuscript notes, neat copy.
II: Exodus pt. 1 (ending in the middle of Parashat Terumah), first edition, pr. in 1733 by Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Jacob Culi, finished by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 330 fols., title within architectural frame, re-margined, browning, (damp-)staining, some worming, only occasionally affecting text, first leaves with repairs, last four leaves cropped with loss of text, made-up, other minor flaws, some manuscript notes, old stamps, despite the flaws most of the interior in acceptable condition.
III: Exodus pt. 2, first edition, pr. in 1746 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 120 + [4] fols. (corresponds with Yaari, Ladino, No. 47), title within decorated frame, browning and staining, worming touching single letters, a few tears and repairs, fol. 91 from another copy, few other flaws, occasional manuscript notes, working copy.
IV: Leviticus, first edition, pr. in 1753 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [1] + 192 (unusually misnumbered) fols. (1-49 (Hebr.) 1-7 (Arabic numerals) 50-185 (Hebr.), second preliminary leaf called for by Yaari, Constatinople, No. 431 apparently missing (but Yaari only counts 185 leaves!), interesting decorated title with the Temple in Jerusalem, mounted with some loss of text and decorated frame, browned, stained and wormed only touching single letters, other flaws, made-up, Arabic and Hebrew manuscript notes on free endpaper, still a copy of some quality.
V: Numbers, first edition, pr. in 1764 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 166 (1-8 11-168; apparently no text missing) + 1 fols., title within decorated frame, repairs, soiled, several margins strengthened with some loss of text, frayed edges, other flaws, old stamps, at the end a folded page with an extremely rare map of the Diglei ha-Midbar, the 'standards of the wilderness', apparently unknown from any other copy in the world, repaired, working copy.
VI: Deuteronomy (ending with Parashat Ekev), first edition, pr. in 1772 by Samuel ben Nissim Ashkenazi, comm. by Isaac Behar Arguëti, 8 + 230 fols., last leaf of Maftechot called for by Yaari missing, title within decorated frame, tightly bound with loss of text and image, browned, toward the end several leaves re-margined, a few wormholes at times affecting text, made-up, frayed edges, other flaws, few manuscript notes, neat copy.
Yaari, Constantinople, Nos. 413, 340, 409, 431, 446, 468; see also 473; Yaari, Ladino, Nos. 41, 46, 47, 57, 62, 67.
These editions not in Kayserling.
Not in Zedner; not in Roest, only vol. VI in the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana.
Enc. Jud. 11, clmns. 1158-1160; A. Yaari, in: Kirjath Sepher 10 (1933) p. 271-274.
After the chaos left by the Shabbetai Zevi heresy, there was a need for the re-absorption of the masses into Orthodox Judaism. For a long time the Me-am Lo'ez was the only literature for thousands of Sephardi Jewish families. Its reading was often considered a religious duty. It was so well thumbed by generation after generation that very few sets remain in existence (Enc. Jud.)
See illustrations (6)
Me-am Lo'ez on the Pentateuch.
Bible. Ethico-homiletical commentaries in Ladino on the five books of the Pentateuch, by Jacob Culi, Isaac ben Moses Magriso and Isaac Behar Arguëti.
Constantinople, 1733-72, 32 x 20 cm.
Of utmost rarity. Six volumes rather tightly bound in modern black silver- and gold-tooled (Numbers) bindings.
I: Genesis, second edition, pr. in 1748 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Jacob Culi, 274 fols., title within decorated frame, browning, staining, worming, several tears and repairs, occasionally affecting text, frayed edges, made-up, other flaws, with manuscript notes, neat copy.
II: Exodus pt. 1 (ending in the middle of Parashat Terumah), first edition, pr. in 1733 by Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Jacob Culi, finished by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 330 fols., title within architectural frame, re-margined, browning, (damp-)staining, some worming, only occasionally affecting text, first leaves with repairs, last four leaves cropped with loss of text, made-up, other minor flaws, some manuscript notes, old stamps, despite the flaws most of the interior in acceptable condition.
III: Exodus pt. 2, first edition, pr. in 1746 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 120 + [4] fols. (corresponds with Yaari, Ladino, No. 47), title within decorated frame, browning and staining, worming touching single letters, a few tears and repairs, fol. 91 from another copy, few other flaws, occasional manuscript notes, working copy.
IV: Leviticus, first edition, pr. in 1753 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [1] + 192 (unusually misnumbered) fols. (1-49 (Hebr.) 1-7 (Arabic numerals) 50-185 (Hebr.), second preliminary leaf called for by Yaari, Constatinople, No. 431 apparently missing (but Yaari only counts 185 leaves!), interesting decorated title with the Temple in Jerusalem, mounted with some loss of text and decorated frame, browned, stained and wormed only touching single letters, other flaws, made-up, Arabic and Hebrew manuscript notes on free endpaper, still a copy of some quality.
V: Numbers, first edition, pr. in 1764 by Reuben and Nissim Ashkenazi, sons of Jonah ben Jacob, comm. by Isaac ben Moses Magriso, [2] + 166 (1-8 11-168; apparently no text missing) + 1 fols., title within decorated frame, repairs, soiled, several margins strengthened with some loss of text, frayed edges, other flaws, old stamps, at the end a folded page with an extremely rare map of the Diglei ha-Midbar, the 'standards of the wilderness', apparently unknown from any other copy in the world, repaired, working copy.
VI: Deuteronomy (ending with Parashat Ekev), first edition, pr. in 1772 by Samuel ben Nissim Ashkenazi, comm. by Isaac Behar Arguëti, 8 + 230 fols., last leaf of Maftechot called for by Yaari missing, title within decorated frame, tightly bound with loss of text and image, browned, toward the end several leaves re-margined, a few wormholes at times affecting text, made-up, frayed edges, other flaws, few manuscript notes, neat copy.
Yaari, Constantinople, Nos. 413, 340, 409, 431, 446, 468; see also 473; Yaari, Ladino, Nos. 41, 46, 47, 57, 62, 67.
These editions not in Kayserling.
Not in Zedner; not in Roest, only vol. VI in the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana.
Enc. Jud. 11, clmns. 1158-1160; A. Yaari, in: Kirjath Sepher 10 (1933) p. 271-274.
After the chaos left by the Shabbetai Zevi heresy, there was a need for the re-absorption of the masses into Orthodox Judaism. For a long time the Me-am Lo'ez was the only literature for thousands of Sephardi Jewish families. Its reading was often considered a religious duty. It was so well thumbed by generation after generation that very few sets remain in existence (Enc. Jud.)
See illustrations (6)