[BIBLE, OLD TESTAMENT] Biblia en lengua española. Traduzida palabra por palabra de la verdad hebrayca, por muy excelentes letrados; ... y aora de nuevo corregida.
Amsterdam: Joseph Athias, 5421 (1661 C.E.]. Early polished brown calf panelled in blind, brass clasps, all edges stained blue; rebacked and relined (by Palmer, Howe & Co., of Manchester), preserving an old flyleaf now pasted down. Housed in a cloth clamshell case. 7 3/4 × 4 3/4 inches (19 x 12 cm); xvi, 1325, [7] pp., the last blank, collating 3*^(8) A-4O^(8); Roman types with italic, title within woodcut architectural border, woodcut head- and tailpieces, woodcut cartouche tailpiece on 3*3r and 4O8r with letterpress mottos set in oval cartouches. Rebacked to style, scattered very light browning, occasional red-pencil underscoring or marginalia. Bookplate and ownership notation of R.O. Darbishire on the retained flyleaf, notations in ink of Elza Berkeley (see below) on title.
The copy of the great Irish philosopher Bishop Berkeley's, according to his daughter's-in-law inscription on the title-page: "This fine Spanish Bible belonged to My Honoured Father-in-Law. George Berkeley late Lord Bishop of Cloyne in Ireland presented to me by My Dear Husband Dr Berkeley Prebd of Canterbury Eliza Berkeley The Oaks Canterbury." Eliza Berkeley lived at The Oaks from 1771 till about 1780. Her son George Monck Berkeley died in 1793, and her husband, Bishop Berkeley's son, died two years later, in January 1795; Eliza Berkeley then consigned the combined library of her father-in-law, her husband, and her son, for sale by Sotheby's and Leigh on 6-10 June 1796. This library contained a remarkably large number of books in Spanish; but the present book cannot be found in the sale catalogue, having been retained probably by Eliza Berkeley. The Gentlemen's Magazine noted that "she read Spanish, Hebrew, and French, always taking a Spanish prayer-book to church" (See DNB).
This typographically appealing edition of the Ferrara version of the Old Testament in Spanish was at first intended for the use of Spanish-speaking Jews who had been driven from Spain and Portugal; it was originally edited by Abraham Usque (Duarte Pine) from an older Jewish version existing only in manuscript, and was first printed at Ferrara in 1553. The present edition was produced by the leading Hebrew printer of Amsterdam, and represents an attempt to market the Ferrara version to a wider public. Athias, a rabbi, advertised the approval of the Inquisition and the privilege of the Duke of Ferrara on the title-page, and the work was revised by Samuel de Cazeres. A rare and important edition of the Bible in Spanish, with considerable interest as Hebraica. Darlow and Moule 8481.

C The Collection of Jay I. Kislak sold to benefit the Kislak Family Foundation

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