Complete Hebrew and English Critical and Pronouncing Dictionary, A.
A Comprehensive Hebrew Lexicon,
Inscribed by the Author
[Judaica]. Roy, W.L. A Complete Hebrew and English Critical and Pronouncing Dictionary, On a New and Improved Plan, Containing All the Words in the Holy Bible…Together with Their Derivation, Literal and Etymological Meaning…And Illustrated by Numerous Citations from the Targums, Talmud and Cognate Dialects…New York: Published by Collins, Keese & Co….1837.
Large, heavy folio; front pastedown (printed with recommendation blurbs) deeply yellowed, text still legible, previous owner’s discrete label atop the front pastedown; fragile hand-cut laidpaper, some pages uncut; rear pages also deeply yellowed, but legible; brown cardboard boards, paper label on spine; boards heavily used but still handsome; all in all, a nice survival copy of a scarce book. In a specially made cloth slipcase.
First edition of this voluminous English-Hebrew dictionary/lexicon. Inscribed by the author on the title page: To Dr. Ruschenberger my esteemed friend with the [?] respects of the Author. With Dr. Ruschenberger’s discrete ownership label at the top of the front pastedown. The author, Dr. W. L. Roy, is described on the title page as a Professor of Oriental Languages, New York. Nothing further is known about him as he does not look up in the usual sources.
A handsome copy of an ambitious and thorough work – the dictionary/lexicon runs for nearly 800 pages, including an index and a list of subscribers at rear. This early English-Hebrew dictionary/lexicon had to have been an amazing tool for scholars in its time; indeed, its academic rigor and completeness make it still a relevant tool today. The author’s ambitions to produce the definitive English-Hebrew dictionary/lexicon, as distinct from previous, incomplete works, is made plain in his introduction:
…while we have excellent dictionaries in various modern languages, there is no Hebrew Lexicon that contains all the words in the language, arranged in alphabetical order, with their exact and literal meaning….Several preceding Lexicons have given very excellent definitions of Hebrew Roots; but, as they furnish the roots only, they may be termed vocabularies, or dissertations on the Hebrew language, [rather] than Lexicons; and they afford the uninitiated student no clue by which he can trace any word up to its root, with full confidence that he is on the right track, or that he is referring to a word in any passage to the correct root, and finding its true meaning. (pp. 1-2)
Apparently the author was successful—this massive and comprehensive lexicon is a vital aid to students of Hebrew and is as useful now as it was at the time it was published. It is, in addition to being an invaluable tool, yet another interesting example of the means by which Hebrew was introduced in nineteenth century America.
(#4535)
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