Sefer Shirei Tiferet – renowned work by R’ Naphtali Herz Wessely, consisting of eighteen poems. The poems were printed in six booklets over the course of decades in Berlin and in Prague. All six appear here in their first edition. Thick volume.
This book is considered one of the most significant books of modern Hebrew verse, and it had an enormous influence on later poets. The renowned scholar Shi”r wrote about these poems by Wessely: ” Shirei Tiferet , as their name implies, are a source of pride to their writer and to the Jewish people as a whole. There have been none like them since the era of shirei kodesh . Let this also be a sign for us, because our people, over the course of the generations, have fewer thoughtful hearts, and if not for that, these Shirei Tiferet would be sung across the entire Diaspora for the duration of the month of Nissan …”
Signature on the title page: “I bought this book at the sale of R’ Moshe Lemon’s books. Shmuel Moldar.” Moldar was a very talented writer, editor and author. He was one of the activists involved in haskalah literature in the first half of the 19th century. Additional signatures and notations on the first flyleaf.
Specifications of the booklets:
First booklet: Four poems. 1789. [12], 40, [2] leaf.
Second booklet: Three poems. 1789. [6], 56, [2] leaf.
Third booklet: Three poems. 1792. [8], 60, [4] leaf. Some copies of this part have a portrait of the author included; it is not present here.
Fourth booklet: Two poems. [12], 62, [10] leaf. This booklet is listed in Mif’al HaBibliographiah according to a copy in the British Library.
Fifth booklet: Three poems. 1802. [6], 64, [12] leaf. This booklet is listed in Mif’al HaBibliographiah according to a copy in the British Library.
Sixth booklet: Three poems. Prague, 1829. [7], 68, [1] leaf.
Total of [6] booklets in one thick volume. 19.5 cm.
Overall very fine condition. Minimal stains.Thick, high-quality paper. Antique marbleized paper binding, chafed. This spine is blemished and partially detached.