I had the fantastic opportunity recently to explore the Hebraic collection at the Library of Congress. I have so much to write about this! Big thanks to the incredibly helpful LOC staff. Look below for a preview of what’s to come.

However, just when things are getting interesting, I will be posting less frequently on this site for the next month and a half while I work on my Jewish mural project, Illuminated Streets. In the meantime, spread the word and let me know what topics you’d like me to add to my list. And yes, I’m aware the footnote numbers aren’t working properly. See you soon!

This edition of תשובות שאלות הרשב״א — Teshuvot She’elot ha-Rashba (Responsa of R. Solomon ben Abraham Adret) — printed in Rome sometime between 1469 and 1472, was very likely the first Hebrew book ever printed. Part of a group of a half dozen books printed without a date or place, having been published just two decades after Gutenberg printed his Bible before that was standard practice, its heritage is posited from outside references and inferences from the look of the typography.