Pirkei Eliyahu, Hebrew grammatical composition, "Brief rules of letters and vowels and other matters", [by R. Eliyahu HaBachur son of Asher HaLevi Ashkenazi (Elia Levita)]. [Pesaro: Gershom Soncino, 1520]. First edition.
Ownership inscription in cursive Sephardic script on verso of title page and on last page: "This book belongs to… R. Refael Ya'akov Asa, and I have borrowed it, Chaim Siano". Added to the last leaf and to the following page are handwritten grammatical rules (in a different handwriting).
[19] leaves + [1] handwritten leaf. 18.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Slight worming. Leaves cut on text border. Repaired tears to margins of title page. Small holes to title page. Worn binding with leather spine.
Provenance: Toaff family collection.

Grammatica Hebraea / Mikneh Avram, a book on Hebrew grammar, by the physician and grammarian R. Abraham de Balmes. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, [1523].
Vowelized Hebrew and Latin on facing pages. The volume was translated by Kalonymus ben David, who also composed the final chapter in the book: "Chapter of Cantillation", and prepared the book for print.
Following the title page is a Latin poem honoring Daniel Bomberg, after which Bomberg wrote a Latin introduction. The author also praises Bomberg in his introduction.
The blank page following the introduction contains an inscription in old Italian-Ashkenazic script (15th century): "G-d has favored me and given me this volume of Mikneh Avraham, which I bought today…may G-d give me and my children the merit to study it day and night, and may our entire nation be written in the book of life, blessing and peace… may G-d save us from our oppressors. Kalonymus son of the holy [martyred] Mordechai Katz of Asolo, may his soul rest in Eden…I bought this volume from Alfonso Ricaritiri in Venice for three lire…" [The writer was evidently from the family of R. Gershom Katz ben R. Kalonymus of Asolo, who moved to Padua in 1581, where he served as dayan and head of the community. See enclosed material].
[314] leaves. 21 cm. Good condition. High quality paper, mostly clean; some stains. Repaired tears to the title page; tear to one other page. Worming on binding and several pages. Original vellum binding.
Another edition of this work, in Hebrew only, was printed simultaneously [Venice, 1523]. The Hebrew of both editions is virtually identical, but the current edition has numbered lines.
Provenance: Toaff family collection.

Sefer HaShorashim, roots [of words] in the Holy Tongue, by R. David Kimchi. [Salonika: Gershom and Shlomo Soncino, 1533].
Several censor erasures. Among them, the following line of the entry "elem" (youth) was erased: "Our sages have brought proofs against Jesus the Christian".
[146] leaves (originally 149). Lacking the title page and two last leaves. This copy is a combination of several copies: approximately 22 leaves were added from another copy which was shorter in size and the margins were elongated with paper filling. Other leaves were added from other copies (possibly some are photocopies on ancient paper, see for example leaf [38]). 28 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and wear. Worming. Repaired tears. Ancient repaired leather binding.
Provenance: Toaff family collection.

Sefer Tuv Taam on the principles of cantillation marks by R. Eliyahu Bachur-Ashkenazi (Elia Levita). Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1538. First edition.
On the title page is a handwritten inscription from 1636: "... Axelrod son of Yaakov Cohen", and a censor's inscription.
35 leaves. [2] final leaves of errata missing, 18.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and dampstains. Slight wear on title page and other pages. Pages cut with slight damage to the titles on some pages. New vellum binding. Bookplate.
Provenance: Toaff family collection.