Bidspirit auction | The Manuscript of Moses -

The Manuscript of Moses - Isidore - Abraham Levy - Early antisemitic publication condemning the character of the Jews. Paris, 1900 - First edition - “Le Manuscrit de Moïse Isidore Abraham Lévy” - “The Manuscript of Moses Isidore Abraham Lévy” – by Raphaël Viau. Published by Librairie antisémite. Paris, 1900 - First edition. Accompanied throughout by 30 antisemitic illustrations. A sharply antisemitic publication presented in the form of a “will, ” allegedly found by the author by chance on a street in Paris, containing the words of a Jewish father addressed to his son Zebulon. In this supposed testament, the “corrupt nature” of the Jew is purportedly revealed in his own words: “My dear Zebulon, you are soon to enter your tenth year, the age at which every true Israelite makes his debut in commerce, industry, or finance. You are my only son. At my death you will inherit only a modest fortune, some ten million, carefully amassed by your poor father. It is not much, I know, for one can never have too much money. Therefore I wished to offer you some compensation...”. He goes on to claim that Jews in France betrayed their homeland by passing secrets to the enemy army: “The war, my dear Zebulon, was most fruitful for us. Our perfect knowledge of Alsace and Lorraine served us well and enabled us to render significant services to the German General Staff...”. He continues by portraying Jewish history as one of exploitation and deceit: “And first of all, Zebulon, know this: our land has produced the greatest negotiators, the most skilled financiers, the most renowned capitalists, speculators, and swindlers. Our land has produced some of the most infamous spies and traitors in the world. From Judah to Dreyfus, their number reaches into the thousands...”. From this point onward, the father recounts to his son a sweeping narrative of Jewish history depicted as a continuous chain of exploitation of other peoples, fraud, violence, and manipulation for self-benefit: “Our ancestors, who never tired, established themselves as conquerors under Charles V, whose trust they skillfully won, to such an extent that they compelled him to issue a decree in their favor, declaring that every Jew shall be believed, under oath, regarding the sums he claims.” Several extended passages are devoted to defamatory narratives about the Rothschild family and how it allegedly took control of French capital. In the third part, short stories are presented illustrating the supposed character of the Jew in commerce, within the family, in social life, in culture, and more. The booklet is filled throughout with antisemitic caricatures depicting Jews in a stereotypical manner, employing imagery of various animals, as well as portrayals of the “greedy Jew, ” the “ugly Jew, ” the “exploitative Jew, ” and similar motifs. On the cover appears an illustration of a Jew with stereotypical features writing a will to his sons, whose faces are distorted with long noses, alongside the Hebrew word “kosher.” At the beginning of the booklet is a printed dedication to Charles Devos, editor-in-chief of the publication of the antisemitic propagandist Édouard Drumont, La Libre Parole. “I dedicate to you this small volume, filled with unpleasant things about Israel, yet likely to amuse you somewhat. It may be said that Israel would be mistaken to take offense this time, for it was in fact a friend of Reinach who inspired me. Israel will still be shaken - you may be sure of that...” (from the introduction). Rare. Only six copies are recorded in the WorldCat global library catalog. V, 90 [2] pages. Minor tears to the spine. Otherwise in good condition.