Kankan Yashan Maleh Chadash - the First and Last Book Printed within the Framework of the Ambitious Enterprise of ...

Kankan Yashan Maleh Chadash - the First and Last Book Printed within the Framework of the Ambitious Enterprise of Publishing the Zionist Writings of Reb Yechiel Michel Piness - Warsaw, 1891 - with the Rare and Important Binding!
A rare and important book about the agriculture of the Land of Israel, edited by Reb Yechiel Michel Piness, who led "the development of the Yishuv" in the Land of Israel (as described in the preface of the book).
The book was printed within the framework of the enterprise of publishing Piness' writings, which had started in Warsaw in 1891. Eventually, only one other book was printed within the framework of this ambitious enterprise (Sefer Ha'Ko'ach, Warsaw, 1897).
The above enterprise is not referred to by the title page of the book; however, it is reflected in the preface as well as in the pink cover of the special copy before us. In the vast majority of copies, this hard cover is missing (it is not listed by the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book and does not appear on any copy of the National Library). The text printed on the cover is significant in that it sheds light on the enterprise of publishing the writings. The main title "Kankan Yashan Maleh Chadash" [An old Jug full of New Things] - is the title of a planned series of books. Under this title, the enterprise is described: "an anthology of complete books, articles and letter, which have printed in Hebrew journals and which have been written to different people about the settlement of the Land of Israel in theory and in Practice, since 1878 to this day, by Yechiel Michel Piness in Jerusalem". Before us is "the first booklet - the working of the land".
For some reason, the editor of the series did not want to reveal his identity and therefore signed his preface to the book by the name: "S.L.M". He, most likely, lived abroad. We have been unable to discover his identity. By the way, an article that was published in 1889 in the "Ha'Melitz" journal, defending Piness' opinion that the work of the land should be prohibited during the Shemitah, was also signed by him in the same manner. In that article he also writes: "the publisher knows me and can declare before the readers (from whom I hide my name) that I am not inferior in my love of my nation and my country to any of the dear lovers of Zion".
In his preface to the book, the editor writes that Reb Yechiel Michel Piness had given him permission to collect and print all Piness' essays and letters about the settlement of the Land of Israel since 1878. The editor writes that he had chosen to print the books and articles which had already been printed once, one of which being this book titled "Avodat Ha'Adamah" which had been printed in "Ha'Zvi" in 1887. These will serve as firm evidence of the recent development of the Yishuv, which the above scholar stands at its head from its outset to this day.
The anonymous editor adds that he had already began working on the next volumes of the series, which will contain Piness' letters. However, eventually, the enterprise was shelved and additional volumes were not published!
The volume before us, which was chosen to open the series of books, is a translation of an essay by the Swedish researcher Leo Underlind, "Avodat Ha'Adamah Be'Surya Bichlal U'Be'Eretz Yisrael Bifrat" [the Work of the Land in Syria in General and in the Land of Israel in Particular]. As said, this translation by Piness was printed in the past in the issues of "Ha'Zvi" journal and later as a book in itself in 1887. Here it was printed again in a nice edition with important and interesting comments by Piness.
Piness' translation was very significant. During the translation, Piness encountered German words which he had to translate for the first time into Hebrew. Thus for example, the "Tomato" received for the first time the Hebrew translation of "עגבנייה".
On pp. 63-71, the article "Gidul Dvorim" [Nurturing Bees] by the well-known member of Bilu Moshe Meirowitz, Piness' friend, was reprinted, as was done in the first edition of the book.

A rare book. To the best of our knowledge, it has never been seen in auctions!
71 pp. pink cover (in addition to the hard cover).
Condition: Good. Time stains.