The Haggadah [SIGNED BY THE ILLUSTRATOR, ARTHUR SZYK]

London: Beaconsfield Press, 1940. Hardcover. Near fine condition. Arthur Szyk. 92/125 on vellum. Large quarto. 59 Japan accordion-folded leaves: xxvi, [92] pp. Full blue levant morocco binding with gilt design, by Sangorski and Sutcliffe. Housed in three-quarter morocco, velvet lined box. One of 125 copies (no. 92) printed on vellum for sale in the British Empire. Signed by Arthur Szyk and the editor Cecil Roth at the limitation page. Profusely illustrated with illuminations and drawings by Arthur Szyk, 48 of which are in color.

Considered to be Szyk's magnus opus juxtaposing the traditional Passover narrative with the anti-Semitism of the Nazi era. "While the miniature paintings depict historical scenes, in the text illuminations Szyk has combined figures in historical costume, characters from the east European ghetto, and young Jewish pioneers in Palestine. These figures illustrate a continuum, making the point that the struggle for freedom cannot be relegated to the past but is very much a current and contemporary concern" (Joseph P. Ansell, p. 93). Text in Hebrew and English on facing pages, typefaces designed by Szyk.

As is common, occasional light wrippling, especially at top margin; and offset staining along outer margins of first and last blank page; small, strictly marginal stain at limitation page and at final illustration.

Provenance: Dated gift inscription at blank front endleaf to Max Rosett, December 1946, from Joseph, a friend in the publishing business. Max and his father, Moritz, did business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio as M. Rosett, Private Bankers; the 1914 collapse of their firm was the second largest banking bankruptcy at the time (NY Times). (Inventory #: 54534)