Detailed
Description |
|
Three bibliographic works, two printed together, by Chaim D. Lippe and R. Joseph ibn Aknin. The largest part of the volume is Lippe’s Bibliographisches Lexicon der Gesammten Jüdischen Literatur der Gegenwart und Adress-Anzeiger, known as the Lexicon, which, in German, provides the names and addresses of approximately 10,000 rabbis, preachers, teachers, cantors, writers and supporters of Jewish literature. It records 1,156 Hebrew and several thousand other language Jewish titles. Among the information provided is the author’s name, biographical information, titles, place and date of publication, format, pagination, and purchase information. In addition, the name, occupation, and addresses of potential purchasers are included. The Lexicon is today recognized as a major source for the history of nineteenth century Jewish literature.
Chaim David Lippe (1823-1900) was an Austrian publisher and bibliographer. For some time he was cantor and instructor in religion at Eperies, Hungary, but he left that town for Vienna, where he conducted a Jewish publishing-house, which issued several popular works.
The second part of the volume is comprised of R. Joseph ben Judah ben ibn Aknin’s (c. 1150–1220) Mevo ha-Talmud. Written in Hebrew and divided into 12 chapters, it is concerned with the “principles which a person must know if he desires to become skilled in talmudic lore.” R. Aknin (c. 1150–1220) was a philosopher and poet. Born in Barcelona, Spain, he probably, due to Almohad persecutions, moved to North Africa, presumably Fez, Morocco. He remained there until his death, not withstanding his ardent wish to go elsewhere so that he could practice Judaism openly. That he felt guilty about living as a Crypto-Jew is evident from a discussion in which he passed harsh judgment on forced converts. He and Maimonides met each other during the latter's sojourn in Fez and Aknin wrote a sad couplet on the sage's departure for Egypt. R. Aknin is the author of a number of works. The final work Seder Tanna’m ve-Amora’m, is primarily in German. The volume is dedicated to Zacharias Frankel (1801–1875).
|
