Siddur, following the rite of the holy Sephardi community, containing prayers for special days, festivals and the five fast days. Amsterdam: Joseph Athias, [1658-1659].
Three parts, each with a separate title page: prayers for weekdays and Shabbat, for special days and festivals, and the order for the five fast days.
This is the first book printed in the printing press of Joseph Athias. His youth and the circumstances of his arrival in Amsterdam are obscure. He established his printing press in the city in 1658, at the young age of 23. He was an intelligent person with shrewd commercial acumen, which helped him create ties with agents and book-traders in the Netherlands and in other countries. Eventually, his printing press became one of the largest and most important printing presses in Amsterdam. Athias developed various novel printing techniques, which enabled him to reprint books very quickly. For further information, see: A.M. Haberman, Chapters in the History of the Hebrew Printers, pp. 293-310.
Stamps on the title page and on the last leaf of "Rabbiner Dr. A. Neuwirth" (presumably, R. Aharon Neuwirth – father of R. Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth, author of Shemirat Shabbat K'Hilchata). Signatures of "Moses Neuwirth" (presumably a relative).
546 leaves. 12 cm. Good condition. Few stains. Gilt edges. Old leather-like binding, with a metal clasp for fastening (lacking the second clasp). Damage to binding.