The vast literary holdings in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections include a surprising number of antiquarian works that illustrate the textual focus of Jewish culture in the early modern period (fifteenth to nineteenth centuries). Most but not all of these works are religious in nature, but this category broadens into canon, commentary, and praxis. The texts also reveal significant aspects of Jewish existence, such as community, commerce, and geographical location (or relocation).

This session will examine around twenty imprints or bound manuscripts.