Der Vollkommene Pferde-Kenner (The Quintessential Horse-Connoisseur), Wolf Ehrenfried von Reizenstein, Uffenheim: Joh. Simon Meyer: 1764

499 pages (8 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.; 215 x 170 mm). Two volumes bound in one; frontispiece [24], 1-176 [16], 1-176 [50] and 28 plates. Edges lightly soiled; light and infrequent staining; frontispiece cropped affecting only a portion of outer border. Later vellum.

In Bohemia-Moravia, Hungary, and Eastern Europe, the livestock trade was a predominantly Jewish occupation and was the mainstay of many Jewish military contractors. Supplies from Poland and Lithuania helped boost this trade among German and Austrian Jews. Herds of draft oxen, cattle for meat, and horses for the cavalry were supplied by Samuel Oppenheimer and Samson Wertheimer of Vienna and many other court Jews. The thousands of beasts necessary were amassed through a system of contractors and subcontractors, reaching down to the petty rural livestock trader. Since their normal vernacular of Yiddish could frequently be understood by their German speaking non-Jewish competitors, Jewish horse dealers developed a secret trade dialect heavily laced with Hebrew which prevented non-Jews from understanding them. The efforts of non-Jewish horsemen to try and penetrate this newly-erected linguistic barrier are demonstrated by a close examination of the present volume.

This illustrated encyclopedic volume deals with topics such as the ideal traits of various breeds of horses, instructions for riders, and a veterinary and surgical manual to deal with any kind of equine illness. Also noted on the title page is the fact that the volumes contain "complete indices and an appendix, alphabetically arranged and listing common Hebrew words, phrases of the Jews, particularly those at the horse fairs."  The alphabetic index lists more than 1500 words in the Hebrew dialect along with their German translation and presents a series of lengthy hypothetical dialogues between Jewish horse-traders.