Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art
Yosifon – Basel, 1541 – Bilingual Hebrew-Latin Edition
Opening: $600
Sold for: $4,500
Including buyer's premium
Iosephus Hebraicus diu, desideratus, et nunc ex Constantinopolitano, exemplari iuxta Hebraismum opera Sebastiani Munsteri uersus – Yosifon, by Yosef ben Gurion. Bilingual Hebrew-Latin edition, translated and edited by Sebastian Münster. Basel: Heinrich Petri, 1541.
At the beginning of the book is a Hebrew title page with small woodcut decorations. Detailed divisional title page for Latin part (printed left to right), with all printing information.
Woodcut initial panels in Latin part. Hebrew text vocalized.
Printed after first edition (Mantua, ca. 1475, notwithstanding the title page's reference to Constantinople), but the beginning and end of the book are omitted from the present edition.
Yosifon is a historical chronicle of the Jewish people from the Second Temple period until the Jewish Revolt. Scholars now believe that the book was authored in southern Italy in the 10th century as an adaptation of the Latin translations of Josephus.
Printer's device on last leaf of both parts.
Old, blurred non-Hebrew inscriptions to endpapers at beginning of Hebrew part.
[132] pages; [12], 178, [2] pages. 27.5 cm. Most leaves in good-fair condition, first leaves of Latin part in fair condition. Stains, including dampstains (many traces of former dampness to beginning of Latin part and several other leaves). Wear. Marginal tears to several leaves. Many defects and rubbing marks to Latin title page, affecting text. New leather binding, with large portions of an early binding attached. Housed in fabric-coated cardboard slipcase.
Joseph Prijs, Basle, no. .60
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries