Bidspirit auction | Masechtos from Bomberg’s Historic Venice

Masechtos from Bomberg’s Historic Venice Talmud * A large and exceptionally rare collection of 17 parts from the historic editions of the Talmud printed in Venice. Such a large collection seldom appears together under one roof. Although the volumes are incomplete and in need of restoration, as detailed below, the collection remains of immense and singular importance. The Venice Shas The printing of the Talmud by Daniel Bomberg in Venice at the beginning of the 16th century was the most significant printed work in the history of Jewish books, leaving a direct and lasting impact on the Jewish bookshelf and leaving an indelible mark until this very day. It is no coincidence that the Venice Shas became the prototype for all future editions. The complete set was a masterpiece, with attractive, clear type and practically free of censorship. It likewise contained new additions that were printed for the first time based on handwritten manuscripts. The Venice Shas established the famous ”tzuras hadaf” which fixed the number of pages in each tractate and served as the basis for all future printings of the Gemara. Until this very day, anyone who cites a source in Shas references the daf as established in Bomberg’s Venice Shas. Rabbi Refael Nosson Notta Rabinowitz, world-acclaimed expert on the various editions of Talmud, writes, “In its format and appearance, this Talmud is the epitome of beauty and glory. The paper is fine, and the letters are dark and clear… No subsequent editions have approached its beauty.” (Essay on the Printing of the Talmud p. 41). Bomberg printed the Talmud in three editions. The present collection includes diverse volumes from these printings—a total of 17 parts bound in 13 volumes. Volume 1: Seder Zeraim – with commentaries of the Rambam and the Ras’h of Shantz 1522. Condition: Lacks most of the title page and final six leaves. Leaf 16 missing. On leaves 2–20 - old coarse margin reinforcements. Dark adhesive tape stains on some leaves. Wormholes in the final 20 leaves. In leaves 79-86 there are tears in the bottom corners with some missing text. Volume 2: Maseches Shabbos, 1526, Second Edition. Condition: Lacks title page + first 11 leaves + final 2 leaves. Water stains and tears throughout. Signature in margins of leaf 145a: Shlomo Aelyon Volume 3: Maseches Pesachim, 1520. 2–139 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page. First 8 leaves are heavily damaged. Tiny scattered holes, water stains, mold stains. Final leaf with the signature: Declared by Feivish son of Moreinu Rabbi Shmuel zt”l. Volume 4: Maseches Yoma , 1520. Condition: Lacks title page and leaves 2, 27, 90–97. Leaf 32 torn with significant loss. First and last leaves are worn and damaged. Water and mold stains throughout. Volume 5: Maseches Sukkah , Second Edition, 1526. 56 leaves. Condition: Final 12 leaves missing (leaves 57–68). Wormholes in final leaves. Volume 6: Maseches Megillah , Second or Third Edition. 3–40 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page, leaf 2, and final leaf. Poor condition. Stains, wormholes, tears on some leaves with loss of text. Volume 7: Maseches Nedarim , Second Edition. 2–121 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page. Tears on leaves 2–3 and leaf 8 with text loss. Water stains throughout, some dark. Volume 8: Maseches Bava Basra, Second Edition, 1530. 2–215 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page and final leaf (leaf 217). Damaged copy. Tear with loss on leaf 2. Leaf 3 mostly torn, full of wormholes, tears with text loss. Volume 9: Maseches Sanhedrin , 1520. Condition: 16 leaves missing at the end. Tears and damage throughout. Volume 10 (Bound Together): Maseches Zevachim, 1522. 121 leaves. Condition: Title page torn with margin loss. Many wormholes throughout with tears in margins. Maseches Menachos, 1522. Condition: Missing last 2 leaves. Wormholes. Some leaves dark and worn. Volume 11: Maseches Krisos , 1522. 28 leaves. Condition: Wormholes and stains throughout. Volume 12: (Bound Together): Maseches Me'ilah, Kinnim, Tamid, Middos, with Masechtos Ketanos , 1523. 2-47 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page. Stains and scattered wormholes. Hilchos Ketanos of the Rosh , 1522. 15 leaves. Condition: Lacks title page. Stains and damage. Maseches Eduyos with Raavad’s commentary, 1521. Only 9 leaves remain; the beginning (17 leaves including title page) is missing. Condition: Water stains, final leaves damaged in inner margins. Volume 13 (Bound Together): Maseches Niddah, 1521. 90 leaves. Condition: Lacks final leaf. Water stains and mold. A lot of wormholes in first 25 leaves. Seder Taharos with commentary of Rabbi Shimshonl of Shantz, 1523. 113 leaves, with colophon at end. Condition: Lacks title page. Water stains and mold, damage to the margins of first leaves with old reinforcement paper. Wormholes in inner margins of final third of book. Tears with some loss of text. Summary: As detailed above,