Commentary of Rashi on the Torah and Five Megillot. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1522.
Rare edition of Rashi's commentary on the Torah and Five Megillot.
Colophon on last leaf: "Printed by the brothers, sons of Baruch Adelkind of Padua, on behalf of Daniel Bomberg and in his press".
Signature on title page: "Meir son of Avraham in Haguenau" (Alsace), deleted by crossing out, with an additional signature below it: "Shalom Seligman Shamash" (a prominent member of the Frankfurt community). Additional inscriptions on title page.
Ownership inscription on leaf 2: "Purchased for the honor of my Creator, Netanel Pussweiler [Bouxwiller, Alsace], Wednesday, 18th Elul [1775]".
On the blank page on the verso of the final leaf, interesting inscriptions on abstaining from games and gambling, in early Ashkenazic script.
In the first inscriptions, the writer, "Yekutiel son of R. Menachem", makes a sworn commitment to refrain from board games (perhaps chess) for about six years. Writing in rhymed prose, he states that he had not been frequenting the study halls, instead playing board games, and he swears not to play board games until the year 5331 (1570/1571). After his signature ("this is the prayer and request of Yekutiel son of R. Menachem"), he further commits to refrain from all kinds of games: "And I add onto it of my own accord all kinds of games, until the above day and year", concluding with the date: "Friday of Parashat Lech Lecha 1564".
Below this inscription is a copying of a passage on the manifestation of Divine Inspiration in courts. Below it is an additional inscription, also on gambling: "…Therefore I determine not to gamble for a year[?], for which my brother gave me 3 Strasbourg pennies; and if I gamble before my time, i.e. a year, I will give him a Thaler. And I accept this upon myself… Tuesday, 10th Kislev 1570".
Card games and gambling were common in Ashkenazic lands for centuries, as was vowing to abstain from them. Community ordinances also sometimes dealt with this issue. "For the desire to gamble is especially great for those who have the habit. And R. Tuviah likewise stated that nowadays every vow not to gamble may be annulled, because those who are addicted to it are unable to restrain themselves" (Hagahat Smag, negative commandment 242). See further: R. Yuspa Schammes, Minhagim DiKehilat Vermeisa, Machon Yerushalayim edition, pp. 238-239, footnotes 10 and 13.

140 leaves. Approx. 25 cm. Most leaves in good-fair condition, first and last leaves in fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Open tear to title page (not affecting text), and open tears to second leaf and several other places, affecting text and with abrasions to text, partially repaired with paper. Worming, slightly affecting text. Old binding, worn and damaged.

Exceptionally rare edition. The Bibliography of the Hebrew Book records a copy missing the title page.
Provenance: Sotheby's (Delmonico Collection), New York, December 2008, no. 174.