Marvin J. Heller – författare

The Seventeenth Century Hebrew Book is an encyclopedic, bibliographic work describing books printed with Hebrew letters in that century. It records and describes the authors, publishers, and printers of Hebrew books, as well as the books themselves. Similar to the author's other work, The Sixteenth Century Hebrew Book, it covers the gamut of Hebrew literature, encompassing liturgical works, Bibles, commentaries, Talmud, Mishnah, halakhic codes, kabbalistic works, and fables. There are 691 entries comprised of a descriptive text page, background on the author, a description of the book's contents and physical makeup, all of which are accompanied by reproductions of the title or sample pages. There is an extensive introduction with an overview of Hebrew printing in the seventeenth century, as well as detailed back matter. It is a necessary work for bibliographers, historians, and students of Jewish literature.

Further Studies in the Making of the Early Hebrew Book contains essays on aspects of the early Hebrew book most often treated in a cursory manner if addressed at all. The largest section of the volume is concerned with the makers and places of Hebrew books, mainly addressing book-makers poorly remembered or controversial and print-shops that issued a small number of books in a brief period of time. The section on varia addresses aspects of the book trade such as small books, incomplete books published as a prospectus, competing simultaneous editions, and errors and variations in books. Two smaller sections deal with book arts such as incunabula frames and pressmarks; variations between medieval and current Sephardic Haggadot.

Printing the Talmud: Complete Editions, Tractates and Other Works, and the Associated Presses from the Mid-17th Century through the 18th Century is a profusely illustrated major work describing the complete editions of the Talmud printed from about 1650 to slightly after 1800. Apart from the intrinsic value of those editions, their publication was often contentious due to disputes, often bitter, between rival publishers, embroiling rabbis and communities throughout Europe. The cities and editions encompassed include Amsterdam, Frankfort am Main, Frankfurt on the Oder, Prague, and Sulzbach. This edition of Printing the Talmud addresses these editions as an opening to discuss the history of the subject presses, their other titles and their general context in Jewish history.

Winner of the 2022 Association of Jewish Libraries Judaica Bibliography Award! A varied collection of articles on early Hebrew printing, encompassing motifs on title pages such as lions, eagles, and fish as well as the entitling of Hebrew books. The next section is on authors and places of publication addressing such diverse topics as a much republished book opposed to gambling, authors of books on philology and on the massacres of tah-ve-tat (1648-49); of articles on diverse and disparate places of printing, Chierie, Hamburg, Offenbach, Verona, and Slavuta, generally small barely remembered publishers of interesting works, and in the last location properly identifying the printer of the highly regarded Slavuta press. Included is a section on Christian-Hebraism with articles on Altdorf where polemical books were published and another on William Wotten, a Christian vicar who published the first English translation of Mishnayot. The result is a wide-ranging series of articles highlighting the activities of early Hebrew presses and printers.

Further Essays addresses aspects of early Hebrew book publication, among them book arts, little known authors, places of publication, and miscellaneous subjects. Book arts addresses pressmarks representing publishers motifs, several unusual, and the varied usage of biblical verses to entitle books. The second section focusses on the works of rabbis and scholars, once prominent but not well remembered today, noting their achievements and their varied books, encompassing such topics as biblical commentaries, Talmudic novellae, philosophy, and poetry. Several locations once important, also not well remembered today are addressed; Further Essays concludes with articles on other unrelated book topics.

Further Essays addresses aspects of early Hebrew book publication, among them book arts, little known authors, places of publication, and miscellaneous subjects. Book arts addresses pressmarks representing publishers motifs, several unusual, and the varied usage of biblical verses to entitle books. The second section focusses on the works of rabbis and scholars, once prominent but not well remembered today, noting their achievements and their varied books, encompassing such topics as biblical commentaries, Talmudic novellae, philosophy, and poetry. Several locations once important, also not well remembered today are addressed; Further Essays concludes with articles on other unrelated book topics.