Guide for the Perplexed

An interesting discovery was made while carrying out the conservation treatment of an early printed book. It was revealed that part of the structure of the book comprised of full leaves of Hebrew manuscript on vellum.

The text of the book is a Hebrew translation of Moses Maimonides’s philosophic work, Guide for the Perplexed. Trinity College Library’s copy is the 1553 edition, printed in Sabbioneta, Italy, by the Foa family. According to the Library of Congress, this edition is considerer "rarer, more beautiful, richer in commentaries and typographically more interesting" than previous editions.

There is a long tradition in the bookbinding trade, that binders will make use of surplus and waste materials. From our 21st-century viewpoint, the bookbinder has acted in a worthy eco-conscious manner. However, his reasons for doing so were undoubtedly economic.

In the case of AA.cc.23, the inside surfaces of both paste boards have been lined with full leaves of vellum, with Hebrew manuscript. The manuscript has been very carefully executed; the ruling scheme is clearly visible. The linings were presumably carried out to make the paste boards more robust, in order to receive the pressure of the tooling impressions and the central block on the front board.

The book was produced at a time of great religious and political upheaval for Hebrew manuscript and print culture in Italy. It is exciting to discover such an extant and resonant historical artefact from within the Trinity College Library’s collections and to aid in its future preservation.

At present, the period in which the manuscript was produced, and the text itself remains unknown. It is hoped that a Hebrew scholar will be able to assist in establishing this information.