Shiru La-Adonai Shir Hadash: Hymns, Psalms & Prayers, in English and German
Cincinnati: Bloch & Co., 1868. First edition. Hardcover. Duodecimo. 263pp. Period burgundy cloth boards with blind-stamped tooling and ruling on the covers, gilt lettering and tooling on the spine. Edges of book block gilt. Published as the final piece of his magnum opus project for American-Jewish liturgy titled "Minhag America", this work offers the compilation of litergical hymns, psalms and other prayers with text in English and German, as collected and edited by the pionneering German-born American Refrom Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (1819-1900).
The original two volumes of the Minhag America siddur (prayer book) had both been published in 1857, one with Hebrew-English text (Prayer Book for Public and Private Worship) and the other with Hebrew-German text (Gebet-Buch fur den offentlichen Gottesdienst und die Privat-Andacht). As stated by Wise in his introduction, this volume, rather then simply being a mutl-lingual direct translation of that text, is a specifically designed and compiled collection of hymns, psalms and other prayers translated with care and consideration especially for this publication, in only the vernacular languages of English and German, with additional new writings by Wise himself and others. Text in English, with the corresponding German text on the facing page. Also includes detailed service instructions, religious notes, a table of torah readings and a table of contents. The influential Minhag America, would become the standard liturgy of American Refom congragations from its original publication until the introduction of the Union Prayer Book in the 1890s.
Text throughout in English and German.
Binding with light rubbing to corners, some rubbing tand light chipping to the head and tail of the spine. Covers lightly smudged. Starting at the gutter of the interior front cover. Some pages throughout with light creasing. Text still clean, bright and ledgible throughout. Book block tight overall. Binding in very good-, interior in very good condition overall. vg- to vg. Item #47609
Hebrew title: שירו ליהוה שיר חדש
*Singerman #2109.
Price: $7,500.00