This book deals with the origins of chess from before 500 A.D. and its appearance in Jewish sources and literature until the middle of the 19th century.
This collection of articles in Jewish Studies has been authored by, what many consider, the most important scholar of the rabbinic life and literature in the post WWII period.
Madden's work constitutes ". . . a record of
many rare or unique examples of Jewish art, preserving spontaneity and
directness in our contact with the Jewish past."
Michael Avi-Yonah Professor of Archaeology at Hebrew University, Jerusalem
"... a single volume (containing) the multitude of details of nearly 40
centuries of Jewish history (provided) with conciseness, clarity, and
completeness. . . entire work is informed by a broad philosophic grasp
of the subject, a rare balance and objectivity of treatment, and a warm love for
the Jewish people and its heritage."
Extensive collection of anecdotal evidence relating to labor, crafts, and trade as thought of and practiced by Sages of the Second Temple and early exilic period.
With the acception of one article, "Tales of the Sage" by Uffenheimer, which concerns with Biblical exegesis, all other contributions approach their material from literary perspective or as a part of investigation into their history.
