Books Like Sapphires

Books Like Sapphires spotlights selections from the Library of Congress’s storied Hebraic collection. Tracing the history of Judaica collecting in the twentieth-century United States, the book showcases varied works, telling their stories alongside vibrant color images. Many presented for the first time, these include a unique manuscript about a betrothal scandal in Renaissance Crete, an illustrated Esther Scroll, a poem from 1477 celebrating the new technology of printing; amusing rhymed couplets in 16th-century Padua; and the Washington Haggadah. Engaging and accessible, Books Like Sapphires celebrates these works as well as the history of Jewish philanthropy and the patrons whose foresight helped build an important collection of Hebraic arts and culture.  

This book also tells the story of the patrons and collectors, first among them Jacob Schiff, as well as archivists and curators, who made the storied Judaica archive at the Library of Congress the precious resource that it is today. 

Featuring the photography of Ardon Bar-Hama.

This publication was made possible through the generosity of the Martin J. Gross Family Foundation.