The Haggadah

Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv: Massadah and Magen, 1956. French Fold Binding. Near Fine. Szyk, Arthur. 4to. This is the first trade edition of Arthur Szyk's masterpiece, see Ungar p 93. Complete with 112 unnumbered pages; color illustrations throughout. Blue velvet cover with gilt decoration and lettering. Protective clamshell box with velvet-lining in black half-leather over blue cloth with gilt decoraton and lettering that match the book. Sound binding with intact hinges. Clean pages with bright, crisp color. One bifollium bound in upside down. Almost no wear to cover. Clamshell box is nice shape with some minor edge wear.

Originally printed on vellum in 1939 in an edition limited to only 250 copies, Szyk's masterpiece was hailed by the Times [London] Literary Supplement as "one of the most beautiful works ever produced by human hands" Ungar p 15.

"Prepared in the style of a medieval manuscript, the illustrations and additional commentary compelled a direct comparison between the time of Pharoah and the then contemporary time of Hitler. In doing so and "in contrast to many other haggadot, Szyk's interpretation sounds a militant tone and is filled with Zionist symbolism. . . . Throughout the volume, he added ancient warriors and heroic biblical figures that are not mentioned in the Seder text," see Lukert p 28.

Far nicer than any of the later reprints except for the recent luxury editions that sell new for $8,800 (deluxe edition) or $18,000 (premier edition).