Orden de Ros Asanah y Kypur: Traduzido en Espanõl, y de Nuevo Emmendado, y Añadido el Keter Malchut y Otras Cosas
Amsterdam: En Casa de Joris Trigg/ D. Efraim Bueno y Jona Abravanel, "5412" [1652]. Hardcover. Duoecimo. 7x4.5". 478pp. Original dark brown leather with blind-stamped ruling and tooling on the covers and spine. Raised bands on the spine. Metal clasps. Red-speckled edges of the book block. An early Spanish-language edition of the complete Jewish High Holiday prayer book (Machzor) based on the original translation by Abraham Usque, (originally printed in Ferarra, Italy in 1553). This edition contains some added material not previously present, including most prominently Solomon ibn Gabirol's famed philosophical poem "Keter Malkhut" (Royal Crown), which over the years has come to be read as part of the Yom Kippur service in some Jewish traditions.
Published by Dr. Efraim Bueno* and Jona Abravanel* to serve members of the then sizable Sephardic Jewish community in Amsterdam. A significant portion of the community were former Conversos (Jews, who had outwardly converted to Catholicism during the inquisition in Spain, who then emmigrated and were able to reestablish their Jewish identity), and thus were unable to read Hebrew, hence the text's publication in Spanish. As stated in the foreword, this edition includes some additions to the text not included in previous versions, and omits some material deemed to have been unnecessary. The prayer book starts with the penitential prayers (Selichot, p.3-47) which includes decorative head and endpeices. This section is followed by the Rosh Hashanah service (p.48-195) and then the Yom Kippur service, including the "Keter Malkhut" (p.254-289). Title page is has a decorative vignette printed in woodblock, and is printed with the Hebrew date "5412". Pages 305-352 are misprinted as "321-368," with their correct numbers handwritten above in ink. All text in Spanish.
Binding with some rubbing and scratches to extremities and to the covers. Front hinge starting to split slightly at the head and tail of the spine. Missing one of the metal clasps on the back cover. Starting at interior covers. Some minor to light sporadic damp staining and foxing throughout the text. Period signature of the previous owner "Silva", in ink on on the title page and p.200. Name of another previous owner in ink on the interior back cover. Book block tight overall. Binding in good-, interior in very good- condition overall. Quite scarce. g- to vg-. Item #43935
*Dr. Efraim (Ephraim) Bueno (aka Martin Alvarez, 1599-1665) was a Portuguese-born Jewish physician in Amsterdam, of the famed Iberian-Jewish Bueno medical dynasty, and prominent member of the city's Sephardic community. He served for many years as the personal physician to famed artist Rembrandt van Rijn, who in fact depicted Bueno in two of his works, one an etching and the other a painted portrait. He received his medical education and degree in Bordeaux, and was known to have practiced medicine in Amsterdam until the time of his death. In addition to his medical practice Bueno was an accomplished biblical scholar, who along with Jona Abravanel published numerous Jewish works the on the bible and Jewish Law.
*Jona Abravanel (1593-1667) was a Sephardic Jewish poet in Amsterdam, from the prominent Abravanel family. He was the nephew of Famed Portueguse-Dutch Rabbi and printer Menasseh ben Israel. Together with his uncle, and Dr. Efraim Bueno, he was responsible for publishing numerous works of Judiaca in the 17th century.
In this edition the title page was mistaken printed with the word "Kuyper", which was then correct via a scrap of paper pasted on top. References: KAYSERLING (1890), p. 7, 31, 61 (under Abravanel, Bueno and Liturgy), PALAU (1923) under 202415 (with an incorrect dat of 1662), PEETERS (1933) 1037.
This publication follows an edition with same title, also from Amsterdam in 1630, but printed by David Pardo and Salom ben Yosseph (Menasseh ben Israel) with different pagination.
Price: $5,750.00