Amsterdam: (the Author), 1636. Two works in one volume (bound with: Ben Israel. De Fragilitate Humana. Amsterdam: [the Author], 1642). First editions. 8vo. Full contemporary vellum, front hinge cracked, soiling, ink stains; loss to title-page of second work, now restored; some very light soiling. Provenance: Johann August Wilhelm Neander (1789-1850), German theologian; Roswell S. Burrows (1798-1879), American businessman; Rochester Theological Seminary (book-plate).

Menasseh Ben Israel (1604-57) was a Jewish scholar and rabbi who in 1626 founded the first Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam. He was a key figure in campaigning for the resettlement of Jews in England, ending a nearly four hundred-year ban on the open practice of the Jewish faith in the country.