The American Jewish world. [volume] (Minneapolis ;) 1915-current, 1922-04-21
THE AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD

AS one regards some of the recent
books of Jewish interest there comes
to mind the admonition of the sage,
"Of making many books there is no
end" (Ecclesiastes XII, 12), for the
recent publications present a variety
that should satisfy the most omniver-
Gus literary taste. There are peri
odicals and poems, lectures and plays,
history, biography, travel and trans
lation. The books we are about to
consider vary as much in the age with
which they deal, as in subject matter.
In fact they cover the entire range of
Jewish history, from antiquity to the
yet unborn future. A volume illus
trating the variety of which we have
just spoken is
Post Biblical Hebrew Literature
an anthology published by the Jewish
Publication Society of America, ar
ranged, translated and annotated by
B. Halper, M. A., Ph.D.
"Post Biblical Hebrew Litera-
ture," Jewish Publ. Soc., Phila.,
1921, 2 vol. Vol. 1, Hebrew text,
with English notes and glossary,
PIP. 800 xviii, $3.50; Vol. 2, Trans
lation, PIP. 251, $3.50.
To many Jews the fact that there
is any post-biblical literature, aside
from the Talmud will, we dare say, be
as much of revelation as was the
fact to many a non-Jew that there is
Jewish history and Jewish life after
the destruction of Jerusalem. Very
welcome, therefore, is the anthology
by DR.. Halper, one of the most ac-
complished of the younger Jewish
scholars in America. The variety of
the authors, eras and types of litera-
ture in the collection is surprisingly
great. Of the forty-six specimens in
the book only five are Talmudic or
earlier. The rest, by authors from
the seventh century to the nineteenth,
indicate the wealth of Jewish literary
output in style, topic and quality. We
have poetry, sacred and secular; his
tory and biography; travel and mar
ratives, philosophy and ethics. The
selection from each author is prefaced
by a brief biographical note that
adds to the interest of the passage.
The translation though usually exact,
is quite readable, and is real labor
of love. To the student of Jewish
literature the volume should prove
very serviceable. The editor has
earned commentator, as has the
Jewish Publication Society, which in
making this one of the volumes dis
tributed to it's members has again
proved itself notable dissemination
of Jewish knowledge.
The companion volume, containing
the Hebrew originals, is published for
private purchase and will prove of
great value to the student and the
scholar. There are few Jewish Ii
braries that can boast all the authors
represented in the anthology. Ger
tainly few private collections include
all the authors of works cited. So the
present volume is valuable acquisi-
ton. geographically, also, the book
is fine, being clearly, attractively and
correctly gotten up. 1t is a product
of the new Hebrew press of the Jew
ish Publication Society, and the set
ting was done by Moses Alperovich,
long with the Romm Publishing
House in Wilma. The volume con-
tains notes and glossary which are
painstaking and helpful. Of interest
are the selections printed with the
Hebrew vowels. We presume that
DR.. Halper, able Semitic scholar, is
correct in his vocalization, yet it is