Ku-bukh (Book of Cows)

1595

Printed page of Yiddish text framed by woodcut of figures on curved archway and columns framing text. — Title page of the first known printed version of the *Ku-bukh* (*Book of Cows*), a sixteenth-century collection of Yiddish fables, published in Verona, Italy in 1595. The later compendium of Yiddish stories known as *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.

Book of Stories

Mayse-bukh

This monumental 1602 collection of Yiddish folktales draws on Jewish oral traditions to instruct readers.

View Source

The West Indian Tale

This complex Yiddish story of religious transformation, featuring a demon queen, was likely published in 17th-century Prague.

View Source

Hind of Love

Ayelet ahavim

This ornate rhymed prose novella retells the biblical story of Isaac with midrashic embellishments.

View Source

Sefer ma‘aseh nisim (The Book of Miracles)

The house known today as the House of the Sun is a large stone structure next to the synagogue. But long, long ago it was called the Devil’s Head, and it was…

View Source

Book of Fables

The donkey greets the horse with his greeting. He says: “How is it that you are limping? Walk slowly to be sure you don’t fall. You’ll never be able to canter. You’ve surely grown old…

View Source

Print depicting two scenes with French text under frames: top shows men in prayer shawls sitting while one man on central platform sounds a ram's horn. Bottom image shows men in prayer shawls sitting and standing in room with several lit candles.

The High Holidays

Between 1723 and 1737, illustrator Bernard Picart partnered with the Dutch bookseller, editor, and publisher Jean-Frédéric Bernard on Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde (R…

View Source

Engage with this Source

Details

Public Access

Image

Language:

Yiddish

Places:

Verona, Venice (Verona, Italy)

Subjects:

Restricted

Some content is unavailable to non-members, please log in or sign up for free for full access.

Related Guide

Early Modern Jewish Languages

1500–1750

As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.

Manuscript scroll page with Hebrew text and decorated border with illustrations of cherubs, faces, animals, ribbons, and flowers.

Related Guide

Early Modern Italy: Where East and West Meet

1500–1750

Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Marranos encountered each other in Italian cities, developing community structures that later influenced Jewish communal organization throughout the western world.