[Rarebooks] fs: The Jewish Museum in Prague

[Joslin Hall Rare Books]

Volavkova, Hana. A STORY OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM IN PRAGUE.

Prague; Artia: 1968.

The original Jewish Museum in Prague was founded in 1906 by Dr. Hugo Lieben 
and Dr. Augustin Stein. After the Nazi invasion the Museum was closed, but 
when the Nazis began rounding up Jewish residents, closing synagogues and 
confiscating all Jewish property, Dr. Stein managed to negotiate to have 
special objects stored at the Museum under care of a group of Jewish scholars.

After the War the Museum and its contents came under the control of the 
Soviet government, but in 1994 it was returned to the Jewish Community of 
Prague and has become an important and vibrant center for the preservation 
of Jewish art and artifacts. This moving book deals with the Museum during 
the Second World War, when its staff worked in a surreal atmosphere to 
catalog and care for the incoming artifacts before they themselves were 
taken away to the death camps. It is not so much a history as a collection 
of reminiscences and vignettes, illustrated with period photographs as well 
as new photographs of objects from the collection.

"Although museums all over the world contain religious objects which have 
been taken out of their proper surroundings, the circumstances under which 
these Jewish objects from Bohemia and Moravia were collected during the 
Second World War were different. This process had been preceded by the 
'collection' of the human beings who had once owned and used them. Into 
this Museum were packed the earthly possessions of a large group of Jews 
condemned to death. For a short time they were cared for by a smaller group 
who were also destined to die. They spent their last days cataloging the 
objects under the strictest supervision of the enemy, for a museum whose 
primary object was to show them up in a bad light".

Hardcover. 9.5"x11", 344 pages, 166 illustrations, some in color; dj; a 
very good copy with light wear. [04652] $85.00

Covers-
<http://www.joslinhall.com/images/th-04652.jpg>


JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
Post Office Box 516, Concord, Massachusetts 01742 USA
telephone (617) 492-5367

--> Our full-service website features 86 separate subject
      categories, and has full search capabilities.
<http://www.joslinhall.com>

--> Subscribe to our free email News List and get special
      discounts and offers on selected books!
<http://joslinhall.com/mailman/listinfo/jhrbnews_joslinhall.com>

--> Visit our new BARGAIN BIN pages for a selection
      of good, inexpensive books for your bookshelf!
<http://www.joslinhall.com/special-1.htm>

  ~~

TERMS:
All payments must be in U.S. funds and negotiable through a U.S. bank; We 
accept checks, money orders, American Express, Visa and Mastercard. Books 
may be reserved pending payment; Institutions may be billed; Standard 
courtesies to institutions and the trade; Postage charges are $5.00 for the 
first book, and $1.50 for each additional book. Shipments outside the U.S. 
will be billed at cost. We accept returns if we are notified within ten 
days of your receipt of the books-please ask for full instructions and 
terms. Massachusetts residents must add 5% state sales tax.

As members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America we are 
committed to upholding high professional standards and making sure your 
bookbuying experience is enjoyable.