Obj. ID: 35628  Birkat ha-mazon, Prague, circa 1760

This text was prepared by William Gross:

This edition of the Birkat Hamazon appears to be an unrecorded publication. It is not listed inany of the standrd Hebrew printing bibliographies. There is no date on the title page, but it is listed as being during the reign of Maria Theresa which lasted from 1740 to 1780, so the date, 1760, is approximate. The book is missing last 3 pages.

An interesting aspect of this edition is the use of a title page woodcut from an earlier printer in a different city. That printer was Shabbtai Bass from the German city of Dyhernfurth, where he was active during the last decade of the 17th century. somehow the woodcut block found its way to Prague where is was used anew. The musical notes at the top refer to the name Bass in a musical sense.

The book contains many illustrations of the type used in the minhagim books.