Ku-bukh (Book of Cows)
1595
Image
Title page of the first known printed version of the Ku-bukh (Cow Book), a sixteenth-century collection of Yiddish fables, published in Verona, Italy in 1595. The later compendium of Yiddish stories known as The Mayse-bukh (Book of Stories) condemned the Ku-bukh, whose tone has been described as “earthy,” as morally corrupting. Two women working are depicted at the bottom. The one on the left may be carding wool, or using a small, tabletop loom, while the one on the right is weaving cloth at a full-size loom.
Credits
Moshe N. Rosenfeld and Abraham Basevi, title page from The Book of Cows: A Facsimile Edition of the Famed Kuhbuch, Verona 1595, from a Unique Copy in a Private Collection (London: Hebraica Books, 1984). Harvard University Libraries.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
You may also like
The Essence of Baseball Explained for Non-Sportsmen
Uptown, at 9th Avenue and 155th St., stands the famous field—the Polo Grounds. Every afternoon, 20,000–35,000 people gather there. The entrance fee is from $0.50–1.50. Thousands of poor boys and older…
Bad Waters
An artist with political and social axes to grind, Garbuz created two images from acrylic, pencils, and spray paint on plywood with the title Bad Waters. Three different scenes are portrayed in this…
Satan in Goray
It was Rabbi Benish’s practice to say his afternoon and evening prayers by himself in his study. When the news reached his ears he hurried to the prayer house. But it…
You may also like
The Essence of Baseball Explained for Non-Sportsmen
Uptown, at 9th Avenue and 155th St., stands the famous field—the Polo Grounds. Every afternoon, 20,000–35,000 people gather there. The entrance fee is from $0.50–1.50. Thousands of poor boys and older…
Bad Waters
An artist with political and social axes to grind, Garbuz created two images from acrylic, pencils, and spray paint on plywood with the title Bad Waters. Three different scenes are portrayed in this…
Satan in Goray
It was Rabbi Benish’s practice to say his afternoon and evening prayers by himself in his study. When the news reached his ears he hurried to the prayer house. But it…