"HaMelitz" – Three Bound Volumes – Odessa and St. Petersburg, 1860-1884

"HaMelitz" – Three Bound Volumes – Odessa and St. Petersburg, 1860-1884
HaMelitz, periodical edited by Alexander Zederboim and Aharon Yitzchak Goldenblum. Odessa and St. Petersburg, 1860-1884. Hebrew and Yiddish.
Three volumes:
1. First year, Odessa, 1860-1861. Issues number 1-50 (952 columns).
2. Second year, Odessa, 1861-1862. Issues 1-50 (803 columns). First issue is missing and replaced with a photocopy.
3. Twentieth year. St. Petersburg, 1884. Issues number 1-103 (1704 columns). The last issue is number one thousand of "HaMelitz". Missing issues number 90 and 98.
"HaMelitz" was the first Hebrew journal in Russia, edited by Alexander Zederboim – a pioneer of Hebrew journalism, who served as the editor until his last day. "HaMelitz" started as a weekly magazine, and during certain periods as a bi-weekly or daily paper. It served as a channel between the Russian authorities and the Jewish communities, and as a bridge between tradition and education through nurturing the ideal of an educated Jew, acquainted with his people's culture as well as the general culture. "HaMelitz" was the journal of intellectual Jews of Eastern Europe. It encouraged Hebrew creation, spread the idea of national revival and later on served as the voice of Hibat Zion movement.
Three volumes: 30X33 cm. Condition varies. Good-fair overall condition. Stains (large dark stains on a number of pages). Tears, some open, some restored with pasted paper (mainly to third volume). Ink-stamp on one of the pages. New cardboard bindings with cloth corners and spine.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Israel Mehlman.