An introduction to the field through the lens of a
particular collection, exceptionally readable and
well-presented. A book that is fresh and compelling,
a total pleasure to read.
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.
A book that is fresh and compelling, a total pleasure to read.
Marc Michael Epstein
Vassar College
An introduction to the field through the lens of a
particular collection, exceptionally readable and
well-presented. A book that is fresh and compelling,
a total pleasure to read.
A well written and interesting view on a
selection of Hebraic rara. A beautiful and highly
useful means of communicating the treasures
that are known only to a few scholars to a wide,
interested public.
Ann Brener served as the Hebraic Specialist at the Library of Congress from 2009-2022. Prior to that she taught Medieval Hebrew Poetry at Ben-Gurion University in Israel and published two books on the subject, Judah Halevi and His Circle of Hebrew Poets in Granada and Isaac ibn Khalfun: A Wandering Hebrew Poet of the Eleventh Century. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina.
Founded in 1971, Brandeis University Press is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to publishing innovative, high-quality books for a general audience, as well as scholarship that advances knowledge and promotes dialogue in the humanities, arts, and social sciences around the world.
© Copyright 2023, Brandeis University Press
Brandeis University Press
Goldfarb Library 69-235, MS 046
Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 736-4547
pressinfo@brandeis.edu
Stay up to date with the newest titles and promotions from Brandeis University Press—while saving 20% on your first purchase.