Hebrew Bible, Venice: Antonio Caleoni, 1648-1655

Four parts bound together (7 5/8 x 5½ in.; 194 x 140 mm). Sequentially foliated and collated across all four parts; foliation: ff.1-158, 159-276, 277-398, 399-529 leaves; collation: 1-17^{8, 18 4, 19 8, 2010, 21-348, 355, 36-498, 5010, 51-548, 554, 56-578, 5810, 59-668, 675. Woodcut architectural title border on all four titles, initial word panels for most of the twenty four biblical books with woodcut headpieces, first two leaves mounted with loss of edges of title border and some text on second leaf verso, fore-margins of three leaves renewed, a few other marginal mends, first few quires soiled and stained, some dampstaining throughout, last four leaves mended in lower portion with some loss, top margin shaved occasionally touching a headline; several ownership inscriptions. Nineteenth-century half calf; rubbed, edges and corners torn.}

Horst Neunhoeffer (library stamp on front endpaper)

Vinograd, Venice 1314; Steinschneider, 490 & 1016

Four parts bound together (7 5/8 x 5 ½ in.; 194 x 140 mm). Sequentially foliated and collated across all four parts: ff.1-158, 159-276, 277-398, 399-529 leaves; collation1-178, 18 4, 19 8, 2010, 21-348, 355, 36-498, 5010, 51-548, 554, 56-578, 5810, 59-668, 675. Woodcut architectural title border on all four titles, initial word panels for most of the twenty four biblical books with woodcut headpieces, first two leaves mounted with loss of edges of title border and some text on second leaf verso, fore-margins of three leaves renewed, a few other marginal mends, first few quires soiled and stained, some dampstaining throughout, last four leaves mended in lower portion with some loss, top margin shaved occasionally touching a headline; several ownership inscriptions. Nineteenth-century half calf; rubbed, edges and corners torn.
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An exceedingly rare complete copy of an edition of the Hebrew Bible in 4 sections, printed in Venice between the years 1648 and 1655. The typography is the work of Antonio Caleoni also known as Cayun, one of a series of printers whose work was published at the illustrious Venetian press of the Bragadini family that printed books in that city across three centuries. Only an incomplete copy (lacking the first title page and 21 leaves at the end) is held at JNUL. Moritz Steinschneider likewise had access to only a partial and defective copy that he records under two numbers (490 and 1016). Among the distinguishing features of Caleoni's editions is his characteristic printer's device, comprising three lions' heads, a not too subtle play on his surname. More bibliographically pertinent is his innovation in the standard rendition of figures within the architectural title pages common to Venetian imprints.  Caleoni has of course maintained the de rigeur placement of Moses and Aaron on the title page of his Pentateuch. In the following section, comprising the Former Prophets, he has ingeniously replaced these standards with two other figures labeled Samuel and Elijah. For the third section, the Latter Prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah flank the title page and finally for the Hagiographa section, David and Solomon are shown. By incorporating into the various titles of the different sections, those biblical personalities who were most closely associated with those sections, Caleoni demonstrated his typographic ingenuity.