Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, by R. Shlomo Ganzfried. Ungvar (Uzhhorod), [1864]. First edition.
First edition of the famous Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, widely accepted throughout the Diaspora. 14 editions were printed during the lifetime of the author, and hundreds of additional editions, translated into various languages, were printed throughout the years. It is estimated that so far over 2 million copies of the book were printed, a unique phenomenon in Halachic Torah literature (Otzar Yisrael, New York, 1909, notes that up until that point, half a million copies had already been published, and according to the bibliographer Dr. Yitzchak Rivkind, over a million copies had been published by 1960).
R. Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886) was the son of R. Yosef, rabbi of Ungvar, Hungary and disciple of R. Zvi Hirsh Heller (R. Hirshle Charif), author of Tiv Gittin, who raised him after the untimely passing of his father. R. Ganzfried's first book, Keset HaSofer, on laws of scribal writing of Torah scrolls, Tefillin and Mezuzot (Óbuda, 1834), earned the approbation of the Chatam Sofer, who even annotated it. In this approbation, he states that no scribe should be ordained without demonstrating proficiency in this book. R. Ganzfried served as rabbi of Ungvar from 1850 until his passing in 1886, and was a foremost leader of the Orthodox rabbinate in Hungary.
He authored dozens of important works, however he is best known for his Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, a clear summary of the Shulchan Aruch (definitive code of Jewish law), printed in many editions since its first publishing in 1864 in Ungvar.
[4], 144 leaves. 21 cm. High-quality paper. Good condition. Stains and wear. Dampstains. Wormhole transpiercing most leaves. New leather binding.