A History of Jewish Crafts and Guilds

Wischnitzer, Mark. A History of Jewish Crafts and Guilds. New York: Jonathan David, (1965). First edition. Octavo. xxvii,[1], 324pp. Original brown cloth with gold lettering on spine in original printed dust jacket. First documented history of Jewish crafts. Rather than portray Jews as reluctant to engage in manual labor, Dr. Wischnitzer puts forth the thesis that medieval Jews struggled to enter the guild system and be accepted as artisans in society. He also argued, based on archeological evidence, that Jews took an interest in devices designed to allow mass production, anticipating the Industrial Revolution. Head and tail of spine bumped. Buttom rear edge bumped. Brown stain on fore edge. Head of dj spine creased and shows wear along edge. Dj repaired with tape. Overall in very good condition. vg. Hardcover.

Mark Wischnitzer was an early 20th century Polish-American Jewish historian. He served as Secretary General of the Hilfsverein der Deutschen Juden in Berlin, taught at the Baron Ginzburg Institute of Oriental Studies and later at Yeshiva University. He also served as editor of a Jewish Encyclopedia. (29452) $75