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Only edition of these prayers liturgical verse in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic. The text consists of thirty-two piyyutim in praise of God, the majority of which are in Hebrew, the minority in Judeo-Arabic. At the end of the volume is a locomotive tail-piece.
The first Hebrew (lithographic) printing press in Baghdad was founded by Moses Baruch Mizrahi in 1863. The press printed a Hebrew newspaper named Ha-Dover (The Speaker) or Dover Mesharin (Upright Speaker) until 1870 and three small books. A second printing press with movable characters was founded in Baghdad in 1868 by Rahamim b. Reuben, a resident of Baghdad, who had previously gained printing experience in Bombay. The brothers Moses and Aaron Fetaya later formed a partnership with Rahamim, and after his death they continued his work until 1882. Fifty-five books were printed on this printing press. In 1888 a new press was founded in Baghdad by Solomon Bekhor Hutz (1843–1892), a scholar, poet, author, journalist, bookseller, and communal worker. He brought his printing letters from Leghorn, Italy. Besides prayer books, he also printed many books which he considered useful to the members of his community. These included tales and works by Baghdad scholars which had been in manuscript until then. After his death, the printing press was taken over by his son, Joshua Hutz, and operated until 1913. Seventy-five books were printed on it. In 1904 a new press was founded in Baghdad by R. Ezra Reuben Dangoor (1848–1930), who was also hakham bashi of Baghdad. This printing press was in existence until 1921 and over 100 books were printed on it. For the greater part they were books of prayers and piyyutim according to the custom of the Baghdad Jews, but there were also some popular books in the Judeo-Arabic jargon and a Hebrew weekly, Yeshu run, of which five issues were published in 1920. This was a second and last attempt at Hebrew journalism in Baghdad. During the British Mandate in Iraq, two small Hebrew printing presses were founded in Baghdad: the al-Wataniyya al-Isrā’īliyya (The Israel Homeland) press, which printed about 20 books between 1922 and 1927; and the Elisha Shohet press, which printed more than 40 books between 1924 and 1937. When the British Mandate ended, these printing presses declined and finally ceased operation altogether.
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