I believe my review of the book, with specific (selected) examples, was included in the most recent News and Reviews. I'll copy it here as well. Readers can make their own judgements; I simply advise reading carefully and critically.
Glickman, Mark. *Stolen Words: The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Books*. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2016. 327 pp. ISBN: 9870827612082 $29.95 The story of the Nazi confiscation of Jewish books and the ongoing story of efforts to restore them to their owners is an extraordinary one, and in recent years, many books have emerged to detail various aspects of this history. Mark Glickman’s *Stolen Words* attempts to do that, but is unfortunately so error-ridden that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. The book would greatly have benefited from both copy editing and peer review, as instances of blatant errors, both typographical and factual, abound. As a small sample: In his multi-chapter introduction to the work, which attempts to summarize a history of Jewish printing, Glickman writes that the first Hebrew book was printed in 1475, notwithstanding the great work of Moses Marx and Adri Offenberg, which conclusively prove the Roman imprints to have been printed between 1469-1472 (the first *dated* book was printed in 1475, but the distinction is important). More concerning was Glickman’s identification of famed Roman printers Sweynheyn and Pannatz as German Jews, when they most certainly were not. In a footnote, Glickman cites “50,000 editions of Jewish incunabula,” when surely he meant to write “copies.” The many errors that I encountered throughout the book shed doubt on the accuracy of the entire work. For someone very interested in this topic, the most interesting point of the book would have been the bibliography, where one could at least find further materials to read on the subject, but unfortunately there is none. The book essentially summarizes some of the major works on the subject, including Dana Herman’s dissertation, *Hashavat Avedah: A History of Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc.*; * Holocaust and the Book: Destruction and Preservation *(ed. Jonathan A. Rose); David Fishman’s *Embers Plucked from the Fire: The Rescue of Jewish Cultural Treasures in Vilna; *Robert M. Edsel’s* The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History *(although there’s a typo in his citation for this book); and others. It would behoove an interested reader to pick up some of the books listed above rather than this one in order to obtain a more accurate view of the incredible story of the “robbery and restitution” of Jewish books during and after World War II. On Thu, Apr 14, 2016 at 10:15 AM, Daniel Kestenbaum <[email protected]> wrote: > What makes you say that? > Details please > > Regards > Daniel Kestenbaum > > Kestenbaum & Company > Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts & Fine Art > 242 West 30th Street > New York, NY 10001 > Tel: (212) 366-1197 > > Forthcoming Auction: > Fine Judaica > Spring, 2016 > > For further details see our website: > www.Kestenbaum.net > > > On Apr 14, 2016, at 10:05 AM, Michelle Chesner <[email protected]> wrote: > > For people interested in this book, I would just like to note that there > are many, many factual errors within it, and one should be cautious before > recommending it for research use. > > Michelle Chesner > Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies > Columbia University > > On Wed, Apr 13, 2016 at 3:18 PM, Brener, Ann <[email protected]> wrote: > >> <image003.jpg> >> >> __ >> Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual >> author >> and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries >> (AJL) >> ================================== >> Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: >> [email protected] >> To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: >> https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran >> Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] >> Ha-Safran Archives: >> Current: >> >> http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html >> Earlier Listserver: >> >> http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html >> AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org >> -- >> Hasafran mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran >> >> > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > Earlier Listserver: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org > <http://www.jewishlibraries.org> > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > >
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
