Barkai [The Morning Star], by Naftali Herz Imber. Jerusalem: M. Meyuhas Press, 5646 [1886]. Hebrew and some German.
First book of poems by Naftali Herz Imber (1856-1909), notably including the earliest known printed version of his poem "Tikvatenu" ("Our Hope"), which would in time develop into "Hatikvah, " the anthem of the Zionist Movement, and ultimately the anthem of the State of Israel. Copy inscribed by Imber to the "revivalist of the Hebrew language, " Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.
Dedicatory inscription (partly cropped) on verso of title page, handwritten in Hebrew by Imber: "To my wise friend, the linguist... of the periodical HaZvi in Jerusalem. [...] The renowned wordsmith from the ranks of the Jewish sages [...], Ben-Yehuda. This booklet is a memento from the author."
Inked stamps on title page and on several additional pages (Hebrew): "House of Reading and [Home of] the Book Collection, Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and reestablished" / "Beit Sefarim Livnei Yisrael... Yerusahalayim..." ["House of Books for the Children of Israel in the Holy City of Jerusalem..."]. The library known as "Beit Sefarim Livnei Yisrael" was established in Jerusalem by a group of scholars led by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda in 1884 (upon its closing in 1894, its book collection was transferred to the Midrash Abarbanel Library, which eventually evolved into the National Library of Israel.)
In 1886, prior to the publication "Barkai, " Imber published the following advertisement in Eliezer Ben-Yehuda's Hebrew-language newspaper, "HaZvi" (2nd year, Issue No. 36): "There is a book with me among my writings [to] which I have given the title ‘Barkai' [...] Any printer who wishes to purchase it from me in order to publish it should contact me..." Underneath the advertisement, an "Editor's Note" was printed: "We have seen these poems which have been written by Mr. Imber, and [regard them] in keeping with the principle to which we adhere, ‘Look upon the vessel and relate not to its creator' [in a play on words on the chorus of the well-known liturgical poem for the Day of Atonement, ‘Ki Hineh KaHomer']. It is incumbent upon us to state that the spirit of lofty poetry hovers over them; their thoughts are pleasant and desirable. The language in them is pristine and clear, and the ideas are exceptional. Many of these poems are worthy of becoming national songs. In general, these poems are faithful national songs, writings of a distinguished poet."
VI, [2], 127, [1] pp., 15.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, mostly to first and last leaves. Tears, some open and some long, to title page and to several other leaves, mostly restored with paper or mended with adhesive tape. Handwritten notations to some pages. New binding and endpapers.

The Writing of "HaTikvah" – National Anthem of the State of Israel
According to his own account, Naftali Herz Imber wrote the first draft of the words to the poem then known as "Tikvatenu" ("Our Hope") in 1877-78 while he was living in Iași, Romania. But a different source, cited by the Hebrew-language "Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel" (p. 1586), states that the original words were written in 1886, while Imber was thoroughly inebriated, having drunk profusely in the course of the Purim festivities at the colony of Gedera. According to this source, Imber arose from his stupor to declare that he had "just now composed the first two verses to our national song, which shall give expression to our hope." Subsequently, while touring the various colonies of Palestine, Imber altered the words and added verses. Eventually, the work was published in its final draft (for the time being) in Imber's collection of poems titled "Barkai" ("The Morning Star"). Roughly a year after the publication of the collection, Shmuel Cohen (1870-1940), one of the young pioneers of Rishon LeZion, took an existing melody and set it to the words of the poem. Cohen's work was an adaptation of a traditional melody with Slavic roots, associated with Romanian coachmen. The Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) made use of an almost identical tune as the central theme to his famous symphonic poem "Vltava" (also known as "The Moldau").
With its new melody, the song was enthusiastically adopted by the settlers of the colonies. From there it traveled to Europe and was quickly embraced by the Zionist Congresses, to be sung at the conclusion of each congress. Years later, the song was renamed "Hatikvah" and the Hebrew lyrics gradually underwent a number of changes. The main changes were introduced in 1905, when the line "to return to the land of our fathers, to the city where David had encamped" was exchanged for "to be a free people in our country, the Land of Zion and Jerusalem"; and the words "the Age-Old Hope" were turned into "the Hope ["Hatikvah"] of Two Thousand Years." Though not officially sanctioned at the time, neither by law nor decree, the first two verses of the song became almost universally accepted, with few if any dissenting voices, as the national anthem of the Jewish people. In 1933, Hatikvah gained recognition as the anthem of the Zionist movement. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, it was unofficially adopted as the national anthem. This recognition was not officially grounded in law until 2004.
(See: Eliyahu HaKohen, "Od Lo Avda Tikvatenu" ["Our Hope has Not been Lost"], "Ariel, " Issue No. 186, January 2009 (Hebrew), pp. 101-104.)
Naftali Herz Imber was born in Złoczów (today Zolochiv), Galicia (then a region of the Austrian Empire, today part of Ukraine). He was given a traditional Jewish education up to his teenage years, but while still a youth he embraced the "Haskalah" (Jewish Enlightenment) movement, and shortly thereafter, Zionism. After wandering through Eastern and Southern Europe, taking on various occupations, in 1882 he chanced upon the Christian Zionist author, journalist, and British Member of Parliament, Sir Laurence Oliphant (1829-1888), to whom he dedicated his book of poetry, "Barkai." Oliphant happily took the young poet under his wing, and brought him along when he took up residence in Palestine, where Imber served as his personal secretary. In Palestine, Imber was mostly supported by Oliphant and his wife, Alice. Following the passing of Alice Oliphant, Sir Laurence left Palestine, and Imber was deprived of his patron. Shortly thereafter, he returned to his wandering lifestyle, visiting India and spending time in London before finally settling in the United States. He died in New York in 1909 and was buried there, but was reinterred in Israel, in Jerusalem's Har HaMenuhot Cemetery, in 1953.