| Show greatest hebrew library in the world aoa ald I 1 EW YORK the library of NEW N tile the jewish theological seminary became the greatest hebrew hen library in the world with the acquisition of tile the elkan nathan adler collection which has haa arrived from london in CO 60 cases and Is being unpacked and sorted out by dr alexander marks and other scholars at the seminary in new york this collection comprises more than printed volumes and parts of 0 volumes and more than mahu manuscripts and was tile the greatest private hebrew library known to exist it includes several thousand unique vol umea and manuscripts manUscrIPt 3 dating from the ninth century to the present and produced in every country of europe and abilla and in ninny many of those of africa and the new world the whole collection lias fins scarcely been touched by scholars the superficial work which tins has been done on the collection as adler put it together shows doctor marks said that it will throw light on every phase of elvi liza tion in europe E drope from the rise of mohammedan ham civilization and perhaps earlier down almost to tile the present the distribution of jewish coni communities munt interlaced their culture with walh that of practically every civilized 0 or r ii nation and tills this vast encyclopedia of their writings over ten centuries and in every part of the world forms a magnificent treasury of his bis adrical torl cal sources before the adler library was purchased the hebrew library of tile the jewish theological sein seminary inary was surpassed by that of the british museum and that of oxford both of these 4 libraries wished to acquire the adler collection but they have both been practically penniless since the war mr adler who alio was an international lawyer of london was willi willing ng that tant the collection should go to any af the two or three great jewish cultural centers cent ert und lie accepted an offer of a nominal price from the jewish theological seminary with the acquisition of the adler collection the jewish theological seminary will have a total of about hebrew books and about banu scripts and over incunabula thil vast library has been put together almost wholly in the last 20 years |
