Mishneh Torah L'HaRambam - Constantinople, 1509 - Four Volumes - First Edition of Haggahot Maimoniot - Handwritten ...

Mishneh Torah L'HaRambam - Constantinople, 1509 - Four Volumes - First Edition of Haggahot Maimoniot - Handwritten Glosses
Mishneh Torah L'HaRambam, with Maggid Mishnah, Hasagot HaRaavad and Haggahot Maimoniot. [Constantinople: David and Samuel ibn Nachmias, 1509]. Four volumes.
Early printed edition of the book Mishneh Torah L'HaRambam and the first edition printed in the 16th century. The brothers David and Samuel Nachmias founded the Hebrew printing press in Constantinople after their expulsion from Spain, and the first book printed in Constantinople - the Arbaah Turim of Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Rabbeinu Asher, was printed in their press.
This edition contains the first printing of Haggahot Maimoniot, by the Ramach (R. Meir HaCohen), a disciple of the Maharam of Rothenburg, which was re-edited by Ashkenazi sages, and contains supplements to the Rambam by Ashkenazi and French sages. In a later edition of the Rambam printed in Venice in 1524, Haggahot Maimoniot was printed in a different abbreviated version and that version was reprinted in all following editions of the Rambam until our times. The version in this edition is known as "Haggahot Maimoniot Constantinople" (printed at the end of each volume of the Shabtai Frankel edition).
[See more about this edition and how it differs from following editions in: Y. Avida, Regarding the History of the First Editions of the Mishneh Torah L'HaRambam, Sinai, 30, 1952, pp. 138-141; 31, 1952, pp. 247-248].
The third volume, particularly Sefer Zera'im, bears many glosses in ancient Italian script. Several more glosses appear in the fourth volume. In Vol. 2, at the top of p. 4a is an inscription in Sephardi script: "Avraham Soyad". At the end of Vol. 1 are ownership inscriptions in Yemenite script (Judeo-Arabic).
Four volumes, a set combined from several copies. Vol. 1: 4-44; 56; 176; 20 leaves. Vol. 2: 2-98; 2-100 leaves. Vol. 3: 24; 44; 40; 18; 65 leaves. Vol. 4: 255, [4] leaves. Originally (all four volumes): 44; [1], 56; 176; 20; 98; 100; 24; 44; 40; 18; 65; 255, [4] leaves. Lacking a total of 6 leaves: Vol. 1 is lacking the title page, leaves 2-3 and the title page of Sefer Zemanim. Vol. 2 is lacking leaf 1 of Sefer Nashim and the title page of Sefer Kedushah.
Size and condition vary among the volumes. 25.5-29 cm. Vol. 1-2: Fair condition. Stains. Tears and worming affecting text, many repaired with paper (primarily in Vol. 2). Several leaves were trimmed damaging the text at the bottom of the leaves. Censor deletions in several places. Vol. 3-4: Most leaves are in good condition. Stains. Tears and damages to several leaves, affecting text. New bindings.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Israel Mehlman.