Meir Netiv (A Light for the Path), Mordecai Nathan, Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1524

405 leaves (15 ¾ x 10 ¼ in.; 400 x 260 mm). Includes the rare half-title preceding the text. COLLATION: 1⁸, 1-49⁸, 50⁵. First title within architectural frame, browned, mounted, shaving inner frame border; central loss, touching a few letters. Woodcut initial word panel. Initial quire strengthened at gutter. Final leaf remargined. Some dampstaining; a few minor marginal tears, some with tape repairs; trace wormed. Early owner’s bookplate, inside front board. Early, elaborately blind tooled crimson dyed sheep over heavy wooden boards; Rebacked; gilt titles on modern black leather lettering pieces.

Johann Marbach, Lutheran Theologian (1521-81), his bookplate on inside front wooden board.

Vinograd, Venice 93; Habermann, Bomberg 89.

FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST HEBREW CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE

Mordecai Nathan writes that until he was fifteen, his only knowledge of Bible came from his talmudic studies. After finding himself engaged in theological disputations with Christians, however, he observed how valuable a polemic tool the Latin concordance of the bible was, to his opponents. This provided him with the impetus to write Me'ir Nativ (also called Ya'ir Nativ) in order to level the playing field somewhat. The introduction informs us that it took over ten years, even with assistance, from 1437 to 1448, to complete the work. There is some confusion as to the author’s name. It appears at the beginning of the introduction as Isaac Nathan, and then on the half-title, preceding the text, as Mordecai Nathan. Scholars differ as to whether or not this is the result of a printer’s error or if these are two separate individuals, one the primary author of the work and the other, responsible only for the introduction.