Chamishah Chumshei Torah [with the five megillot and haftarot]. Venice, by Christopholo de Zanetti, [1563-1565]. Unicom?
133: [134]-130[6], 5-59 [1] leaf, 20.5 cm. Chamishah Chumshei Torah with vowelized letters and te'amim. Marks the start of each chapter and the stops for each of the 7 readers.
The title page notes: Printed by Christopholo de Zanetti in the year 5326 on Sukkot. The colophon notes: Concluded...the Pentateuch with five megillot and haftarot by partners Christopholo de Zanetti and Vittorio Eliano, in 5323[!], with Zanetti's printer's logo.
Researcher and bibliographer Meir Binyahu published an article Hasefarim shendfisu b'venetzia b'veis hadefus haivri zanetti (Asufot, 12, 2000), but did not mention this work. The Valmadonna Trust Library sent him copies of works that were not included. He then published a supplement in Asufot (15, 2003). A similar work is the first book mentioned in the supplement. The title page, like ours, is dated 1565, while the colophon mentions 1563. Binyahu wonders if this is the only copy in the world. He theorizes that the inconsistency between the date on the title page and colophon is because the binder added the megillot from 1563 into the chumash from 1565. However, the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book notes that they saw a similar chumash with two dates in the Sainte-Geneviève Library in Paris.
However the copy listed by Binyahu accordng to the Valmadonna Trust Library has 133 [31] leaves, but this copy has more leaves of megillot and haftarot.
This chumash concludes on leaf 133 (pagination in letters and numbers), as per the copy listed by Meir Binyahu. However, the five megillot, which were printed later, start on an unpaginated leaf [should be marked 134], while the following leaf is marked 135, and the next 136. Then a new pagination starts on leaf 5 through 59, and the last leaf is not paginated. Therefore, it is clear that the megillot were printed as a continuation of the chumash. [Perhaps the new pagination was started because they thought about adding it to a different chumash.]
Bibliographers list only a few books printed by Christopholo Zanetti, all printed between 1563 and 1566. In 1554-1564, there was a decree against printing Hebrew books in Italy, and none were printed [except for two, which apparently were printed with incorrect dates].
Is this the only copy in the world? Perhaps this book, whose printing took three years, also had its date changed. Perhaps the fact that Vittorio Eliano was a heretic, enabled it to be printed?
New, half-leather and marbleized leather binding. Light reinforcement to the upper margins of the title page. The upper corner of the margins has a small, brown stain. Repair and reinforcement on leaf 8 of Ecclesiastes. Fine-very fine condition.