Ben ha-Melekh ve-ha-Nazir (The Prince and the Hermit), Abraham ben Samuel ibn Hasdai, Constantinople: David and Samuel ibn Nahmias, 1518

57 leaves (7 3/8 x 5 3/8 in.; 187 x 136 mm) including initial blank leaf. Woodcut title border; soiling, spotting and staining, a few marginal mends occasionally affecting a word, especially toward the end. Eighteenth-century sheep, blind-tooled in a panel design with a rose medallion in the center and rope-work/floral tools in the frames; rebacked, scuffed, edges worn.

Vinograd, Constantinople 96; Yaari, Constantinople 57; Mehlman 1271

57 leaves (7 3/8 x 5 3/8 in.; 187 x 136 mm) including initial blank leaf, woodcut title border; soiling, spotting and staining, a few marginal mends occasionally affecting a word, especially toward the end. Eighteenth-century sheep, blind-tooled in a panel design with a rose medallion in the center and rope-work/floral tools in the frames; rebacked, scuffed, edges worn.
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.

Ben ha-Melekh ve-ha-Nazir (The Prince and the Hermit) is the Hebrew version of an Arabic tale, derived from an Indian romance. The Hebrew version of Ben ha-Melekh ve-ha-Nazir, was derived from the Arabic Kitab Balahuar wa-Budasaph, and was prepared by Abraham ben Samuel ha-Levi ibn Hasdai in the first decades of the 13th century. The book is a series of tales, fables, maxims and proverbs in intermingled prose and verse, composed of thirty-five chapters.  

A sybaritic king, after exiling his chief minister for becoming a hermit, has a son whose horoscope fortells he too will become an ascetic. To forstall this event, and to keep his son ignorant of the troubles and sorrows of the world, the king has a castle built on an isolated island, to which the young prince is sent. Nevertheless, one day the prince, while walking, comes upon a hermit, the former royal minister, also exiled by the king. They begin a series of discussions, and, over a period of time, the hermit instructs the prince in a variety of subjects, among them ethics, philosophy, and theology. Intermixed with these discussions are others concerning romance, diverting tales, parables, and even humor.

Abraham ben Samuel ibn Hasdai's version of Ben ha-Melekh ve-ha-Nazir contains several parables not found in other versions, suggesting that it is closer to the original Indian tale or that some of the material may have been added by ibn Hasdai, or both.