Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art

Tzemach David - Venice, 1587

Opening: $400
Sold for: $500
Including buyer's premium
Tzemach David, lexicon of Hebrew and Aramaic roots, with explanations in Latin and Italian, by R. David min HaTapuchim (de Pomis), "physician and philosopher from Spoleto". Venice: Ioannem (Giovanni) de Gara, 1587. Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Italian.
The lexicon is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet, in two columns. The right-hand column contains Hebrew words, whilst the left-hand column is comprised of "foreign words" (Aramaic, terms of the sages, etc.).
The book opens with a Latin dedication by the author, to Pope Sixtus V, dated February 1587, and with prefaces in Latin, Italian and Hebrew. The Hebrew preface: "An account of some of the tribulations which the author endured from his youth until this day", a biography of the author and his family. The preface is dated at the end: "Friday, 21st Shevat 1587".
Handwritten Latin inscriptions on the endpapers.
Handwritten gloss on p. 71b, in Hebrew and Latin.
5, [1], 5-62, 238 leaves. 29 cm. Light-colored, high-quality paper. Good condition. Stains. Dark stains to several leaves. Minor damage. Library stamps to title page and other places. New binding.
Early Printed books
Early Printed books