Ashkenazi Haggadah [Hardcover]

David Goldstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

"The Haggadah" - the text of the Seder ceremony of the Jewish Passover, with its evocation of the Jews' escape from Egypt - is in yearly use all over the world. During the Middle Ages, in the centres of Jewish culture in Europe, many illuminated Haggadot were produced. Once considered to be amongst the finest and held at the British Library in London, it is the 15th-century manuscript by Joel ben Simeon, who lived in medieval Germany. The majority of its 98 pages of Ashkenazi script are illuminated with initials and other ornaments and there are miniatures illustrating the Passover story and the Seder feast itself. It is reproduced in this volume, together with a transcript and a translation, so that the book may be used, as intended, at Passover ceremonies. The medieval commentary in the margins of the text is often inscribed in the form of domestic objects, animals and creatures of all kinds and is also translated here.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 140 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810981920
• ISBN-13: 978-0810981928
• Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 11 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable bargain for a splendid medieval reproduction, April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ashkenazi Haggadah (Hardcover)

I found this Haggadah in Paris and was ready to pay three figures for one. It was so inexpensive here that I bought three to give Its very, very heavy paper seems almost like the original parchment. It measures 11X13" and has some 100 full page plates. The colors, painting and calligraphy of this scribe could not be equalled in our century. It is perfectly clear and could be used as a functional haggadah although you will certainly not want to drip wine on this treasure. Keep it away from rowdy kids but show it to everyone else. It's really a marvel. At the end of the book they have appended a modern English and Hebrew version, post Guttenberg style.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sarajevo Haggadah Review, November 18, 2001

By 

Vicente Moncholi (Sevilla, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ashkenazi Haggadah (Hardcover)

This book is beautiful, and the best I can say about is:
I made a gift of this book to a hebrew family, and they decided
to frame most of the sheets and hung it on a home walls. That
explains well how magnificient and emotive is to whom loves
tradition.

3.0 out of 5 stars Versions Vary, January 7, 2012

By 

Ka - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ashkenazi Haggadah: A Hebrew Manuscript of the Mid-15th Century from the Collections of the British Library (Hardcover)

The first review of this book mentions parchment paper. The edition that I received was on magazine paper. It did not represent the level of reproduced antique that was expected. The family who received it seemed to like it.