Sefer ha-'Arukh, Nathan ben Jehiel, Pesaro: Gershom Soncino, 1517

196 leaves (11½ x 7½ in.; 292 x 190 mm). collation: 1-32^{6, 334=196 leaves, woodcut floral title border; title stained and mounted with frayed edges, damp-stained throughout and paper fatigué with various marginal mends, worming in lower inner margin of two internal quires; owners stamp on title and last leaf; censor's inscription (Vittorio Eliano) on final leaf. Eighteenth-century half sheep and marbled boards, shelfmark label on spine; edges, corners and backstrip rubbed}

Fraenkelsche Stiftung, Breslau—their stamp on title and last page

Vinograd, Pesaro 44; Habermann, ha-Madpisim B'nei Soncino 63

196 leaves (11½ x 7½ in.; 292 x 190 mm). collation: 1-326, 334=196 leaves, woodcut floral title border; title stained and mounted with frayed edges, damp-stained throughout and paper fatigué with various marginal mends, worming in lower inner margin of two internal quires; owners stamp on title and last leaf; censor's inscription (Vittorio Eliano) on final leaf. Eighteenth-century half sheep and marbled boards, shelfmark label on spine; edges, corners and backstrip rubbed
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A comprehensive lexicography by Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome (1035-c. 1110), a member of one of the four Roman families who trace their ancestry to the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. In addition to being a talmudic scholar and thoroughly conversant with the breadth of rabbinic literature Nathan was also an accomplished linguist. In the present work he explicates in alphabetical order, the many difficult terms in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds as well as in the Targumim and the Midrashic literature; in hundreds of cases he also provides the pertinent etymology. Nathan's detailed explanations include material of historical and bibliographical value, and descriptions of Jewish customs.

The colophon of this book informs us that it was printed "in the land of Italy." Scholars have suggested that this imprecise localization, which appears in several of Gershom's imprints, may indicate that the peripatetic Soncino printed this work "on the road" somewhere between Ortona and Rimini. The colophon however is more specific and states that the completion of the work occured  in Pesaro.