Found a book from 1719

[ThePresence]

Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

 

[FoBoT]

sweet

thanks for the update

 

[Tuktuk]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

When you meet him, pour gasoline on the book and light in on fire. The do a pagan witch dance around the burning book and shoot your pistols in the air.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Tuktuk

Originally posted by: ThePresence
Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

When you meet him, pour gasoline on the book and light in on fire. The do a pagan witch dance around the burning book and shoot your pistols in the air.

No.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Neat stuff! Keep it away from light. My family has Civil War letters that we keep in the dark to keep the ink from fading (or at least something like that).

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Neat stuff! Keep it away from light. My family has Civil War letters that we keep in the dark to keep the ink from fading (or at least something like that).

Thanks.
Actually he told me on the phone that he has a large library of historical volumes. I'll ask him the best way to keep it.

 

[crumpet19]

So, is this going to turn into like a jewish davinci code? And why the hell is anandtech spellchecking me?

 

[Art Vandelay]

I hope you didnt use flash when you took those pictures...

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Art Vandelay
I hope you didnt use flash when you took those pictures...

I actually didn't, but not because I thought that it would damage the pages, just took a better picture without it.

 

[irishScott]

Strat:

1. Go on Antiques roadshow, get it appraised.

2. Mention putting it on Ebay "on camera" at end of Antiques Roadshow session.

3. Sell book to drooling collector on Ebay

4. Profit.

 

[WA261]

Originally posted by: Tuktuk

Originally posted by: ThePresence
Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

When you meet him, pour gasoline on the book and light in on fire. The do a pagan witch dance around the burning book and shoot your pistols in the air.

You are so funny. People like you add so much to the forum. Oh, I see you just joined. You should do all of us a favor and just forget you ever stumbled upon our little forum.



That is so you cool you found that book. Keep us updated on what he says...you should also pick his mind about what he finds.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: WA261
That is so you cool you found that book. Keep us updated on what he says...you should also pick his mind about what he finds.

I will update.
Not sure what he'll be able to tell me without a whole background lecture, but maybe he'll be up for that. I certainly will be.

 

[jpeyton]

Antique Roadshow FTW

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Antique Roadshow FTW

Not unless I get 100 grand for it.
This is now part of my family history as well. I wonder where my great uncle got it from.

 

[eits]

wow, man... that's pretty awesome.

abraham, son of abraham?

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: eits
wow, man... that's pretty awesome.

abraham, son of abraham?

Religious Jewish names traditionally do not have last names. You are known (in the religion) as "your first name" son of "your father's first name". Converts are not known by their father's name because their father is obviously not Jewish. So they are known as the son of Abraham, the first man to recognize God and the father of the Jewish faith.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: eits
wow, man... that's pretty awesome.

abraham, son of abraham?

Religious Jewish names traditionally do not have last names. You are known (in the religion) as "your first name" son of "your father's first name". Converts are not known by their father's name because their father is obviously not Jewish. So they are known as the son of Abraham, the first man to recognize God and the father of the Jewish faith.

yup

 

[everman]

I remember this thread, pretty interesting stuff. Make sure the guy is actually who he says he is though, try calling him at his office if the number is posted on Yale's web site.

 

[BriGy86]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
This is cool stuff.
My great-uncle died not too long ago. He was a religious Jew. His daughter is not religious so she has no use for all his old books. She is selling his house now and called me and my brother, and asked us if we want to go through his books and take what we want. So I got a few boxes of old stuff. I'm going through it and I find this little thin volume wrapped in plastic. It's completely handwritten, with a handwritten date of 1719 on top of the first page. The writing is neat, but not the type of hebrew that I'm used to reading (it's an old style of lettering) and the pages are splotched and brown so it's really difficult to read. Either way, I think it's pretty cool. It certainly looks legit.

EDIT: Pics here

EDIT2: Okay, from what I've been able to translate, it seems to be the story of Avrohom ben Avrohom (Abraham ben Abraham). There is some scholarly debate if that story ever even took place. And the date on top is probably the date of the events of the story, not the date it was written. Oh well. It's still pretty damn old and might actually be able to change some scholars opinions that the story did take place, so it can be an important document.

Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

did you ever watch the movie The Ninth Gate?

 

[Rogodin2]

Use a 'Pen Scanner' to scan the pages. You need to have a paper/slactic specialt look at it.

You're uncle is probably the last living decedant of Ha Nostri himself! Sell it to Viacom lad!

Rogo

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: everman
I remember this thread, pretty interesting stuff. Make sure the guy is actually who he says he is though, try calling him at his office if the number is posted on Yale's web site.

He certainly is.
He was pointed to the blog by a friend of mine who is a student of his.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: BriGy86

Originally posted by: ThePresence
This is cool stuff.
My great-uncle died not too long ago. He was a religious Jew. His daughter is not religious so she has no use for all his old books. She is selling his house now and called me and my brother, and asked us if we want to go through his books and take what we want. So I got a few boxes of old stuff. I'm going through it and I find this little thin volume wrapped in plastic. It's completely handwritten, with a handwritten date of 1719 on top of the first page. The writing is neat, but not the type of hebrew that I'm used to reading (it's an old style of lettering) and the pages are splotched and brown so it's really difficult to read. Either way, I think it's pretty cool. It certainly looks legit.

EDIT: Pics here

EDIT2: Okay, from what I've been able to translate, it seems to be the story of Avrohom ben Avrohom (Abraham ben Abraham). There is some scholarly debate if that story ever even took place. And the date on top is probably the date of the events of the story, not the date it was written. Oh well. It's still pretty damn old and might actually be able to change some scholars opinions that the story did take place, so it can be an important document.

Mega Update:
I wrote about this book on a blog. I was contacted by a professor from Yale who is about to publish a major essay on the topic of the book (Abraham ben Abraham). He emailed me with his phone number. I called him and we will be meeting sometime next week. He told me that it's very similiar to another one from 1862, but there are small and obvious differences. He wants an hour with the book to mark down the differences between this one and the other known texts. This could be interesting!

did you ever watch the movie The Ninth Gate?

No.
What happened in the movie?

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
Use a 'Pen Scanner' to scan the pages. You need to have a paper/slactic specialt look at it.

You're uncle is probably the last living decedant of Ha Nostri himself! Sell it to Viacom lad!

Rogo

What is Ha Nostri?

As far as the paper, I'll ask him about it. He should have alot of info I could use.

 

[Rogodin2]

Ah, Pontius Pilate's last evil deed, even his great wolf hound Azruth left him after such a notion.

Ha Nostri is Yeusha.

Rogo

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
Ah, Pontius Pilate's last evil deed, even his great wolf hound Azruth left him after such a notion.

Ha Nostri is Yeusha.

Rogo

That would HaNotsri. "T" before the "S". Which is why I didn't understand it.
But honestly, I have no idea what this has to do with him...