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Title
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en_US
Bidpai: Das Buch der Beispiele alter Weisen
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Description
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en_US
This is a hardbound book (hard cover)
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en_US
Language note: German
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en_US
pal. Germ. 84
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Creator
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en_US
Giovanni
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Date
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2016-01-25T19:01:48Z
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en_US
2001-07
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en_US
1926
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Date Available
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2016-01-25T19:01:48Z
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Date Issued
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en_US
1926
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Abstract
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en_US
Here is a beautiful book, of which I now have two copies. It takes apparently both the text and the handcolored illustrations of a Heidelberg manuscript (pal. Germ. 84) of about 1480. In its afterword, it comments on the poor fit between this much-read world classic and the late medieval German culture into which it came: Out of the connection and juxtaposition of these contraries came a work, that was hard and sharp like a woodcut but strong, powerful, and lapidary in its simplicity (152). The special quality of this edition lies, I believe, in its thirty colored illustrations. These are engaging, sometimes for their wonderfully detailed presentation and sometimes rather for their naïve presentation of figures. Among the former I would count the illustrations on 7 of the man loading treasure on servants who will steal it, on 89 of the cat who gave the rat three days to leave and then caught it, and on 114 of the goldsmith who was hanged for his treachery. Among the latter I would count the illustrations on 26 of the snake serving the frog-king, on 87 of the cats overwhelming the wolf after one has scratched out his eyes, on 94 of the man who broke the honey-pot that would bring him riches, and on 133 of the monkey and turtle eating figs. The latter do not look like either a monkey or a turtle! Kalila and Dimna on 73 look more like camels than jackals. Though the format is probably true to the manuscript presentation of the work, I find it difficult to work through the stories when there are no breaks, like titles or page-breaks, to help separate one story from another. Several stories are new to me. I recount here three examples. First, a man and an associate each had a pile of grain. The evil one covered his partner's and planned with a thief to steal from it at night. The good one came before and appreciated the solicitude of his partner in protecting his pile, but took the mantel and put it on his evil partner's pile. The latter thus ended up stealing from himself! Secondly, the devil and a thief came after the same man one evening, the first to frighten and the second to steal. Neither would give precedence to the other Finally, the thief cried out to warn people of the devil's presence. Thirdly, a merchant's servant who unsuccessfully tried to seduce his master's wife tried to get his revenge this way. He trained three parrots to speak in Edomite the following sentences I saw the doorman lying with my mistress, How scandalous that is! and I will speak no further. The servant gave the birds to his master, who gave them to his wife. One day pilgrims from Edom came, and the merchant invited them as his guests. After dinner the birds were brought in as the entertainment. The guests were astonished at what the parrots said and told the merchant, who was ready to kill his wife. She was clever enough to show that the birds could say nothing else. New also to me is the king's dream, pictured on 96. The two copies are externally different in their spines--leather from Dresden and canvas from Düsseldorf--and so I will keep both in the collection.
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Identifier
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en_US
3907 (Access ID)
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Language
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en_US
ger
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Publisher
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en_US
Volksverband der Buecherfreunde, Wegweiser-Verlag
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en_US
Berlin
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Subject
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en_US
PN989.I5 B42 1926
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en_US
Bidpai
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en_US
Title Page Scanned
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Type
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en_US
Book, Whole