Sefer derech ec ha-chajim na tle dziejów drukarstwa żydowskiego w I Rzeczypospolitej
Sefer derekh ets ha-khayim against the Background of History of Jewish Printing in the 1st Republic of Poland

Summary/Abstract: In 2015, Professor Ewa Geller published her own translation with extensive commentary of the book Seyfer derekh eyts ha-hayim: Przewodnik po drzewie żywota [A Guide to the Tree of Life]. This is a book of Jewish health tips prepared in Yiddish by an anonymous author in 1613. The only known copy of it is in the collections of the National Library in Vienna. It is immensely important for the history of Yiddish as it attests to the separate development paths of the Polish and German branches of the language. The place of publication of the book, which was not named on the title page, remained a mystery. Steinschneider’s, Friedberg’s and Vinograd’s bibliographies suggested Prague or Kraków. However, an analysis of the typographic material made is possible to determine that the book was printed by Zvi ben Avraham Kalonimos Jafe in Lublin. He used the same woodcarving block to adorn the title pages this book and of several Hebrew prints, both from before and after 1613. He certainly used it in the years 1605 [1610] – 1616. The same vaybertaych typeface, presumably purchased specifically for the purpose of printing this work, was used until 1623, when he obtained new types for his shop. The Guide turned out to be one of very few Yiddish prints coming from the Lublin shop that has been preserved to this day.

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