OT - Codex Sassoon going up for auction

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/15/oldest-complete-hebrew-bible-expec...

Could, and probably will, be the most expensive manuscript auction to date.

If I had a spare $50 million . . .

I doubt any institution can afford what it will go for, so I hope some philanthropist buys it and donates it (or and least does a long term loan).

>2 lilithcat: That's my hope as well. These things belong in protective institutions that can also make them available to scholars.

>3 Shadekeep:

These things belong in protective institutions that can also make them available to scholars.

I agree that it is valuable to have the actual physical copy available to scholars. However, one of the great advantages of our digital age is that works like this can be studied from the comfort of your home or office. The Codex Sassoon (or Damascus Codex) has been digitized: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667535#additional_subjects=Bible&institution=na..., which is an excellent thing!

>4 lilithcat: A good point. I've perused a fair number of digitised tomes myself, volumes I would likely otherwise never be able to access due to location or restrictions. I'm grateful for the institutions and organisations who do this work as well.

Another significant Hebrew bible, the 10th century Aleppo Codex (endorsed by Maimonides in the 12 century for accuracy/completeness), was partially lost/destroyed when the Aleppo Synagogue was burned in 1947. The surviving pages are now safely housed in Israel, but backups are essential. I'm glad to see that the Sasson Codex has been digitized as well -- very cool to look through....

BTW, from the digital images linked above, it seems the eponymous owner put his bookplate in the front....

>7 kermaier: Well of course. You lend it to a friend for beach reading, you want it back eventually.

>8 Shadekeep: *snort* *snort*

I cannot see how this codex doesn't end up in the Israel Museum (or another of their archival research institutions). Even if it is purchased by a private collector, this isn't the kind of book that's going to be split up or put on tour (a la Bill Gates' Leonardo ms, Codex Leicester). It'll be donated immediately to an institution. How they calculate an auction estimate for these singular tomes must be pretty interesting.

>10 DenimDan: Auction estimate is the result of an educated WAG. *grin*

>10 DenimDan: The auction estimates for something so singular is probably more aspirational than realistic -- just setting the baseline frame of mind for potential bidders.
You mentioned the words "split up" -- can you imagine the travesty of such a treasure being turned into an edition of "leaf books"?

The auction date is set for May 16.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/codex-sassoon-the-earliest-most-com...

*checking sofa for loose change* ;-)

>14 dpbbooks: Maybe we can club together and buy it, then take turns with it. 😆

It went for $38m. I wonder which lucky forum member that was?

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/18/hebrew-bible-codex-sassoon-auction...

>16 Shadekeep: ...purchased by the former US ambassador to Romania - Alfred H. Moses, on behalf of the American Friends of ANU and donated to ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, where it will join the collection, Sotheby's said in a statement.

>17 mr.philistine: Yah, I caught that too, I was just joshing. We've got some profligate (by my metrics) members, but I'd be surprised if someone that could drop $38m for a book would be spending much time hanging out here. Still, stranger things have happened...

I'm glad it went to a museum, not some private collection. It's a shame when such things disappear like that, sometimes for good.

>19 SF-72: Agreed, I much prefer this kind of home for such books.