Jewish Books in North Africa: Between the Early Modern and Modern Worlds

Jewish Books in North Africa delves into the multifaceted significance of books among North African Jews. From the late Middle Ages to the 19th century, this exploration encompasses the history, manufacture, distribution, and readership of Jewish books. These texts were not mere vessels of knowledge; they were integral to a vibrant cultural tapestry that stretched across North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Author Noam Sienna unveils a vast Sephardic world created by these books. This literary network transcended geographical boundaries, connecting Jewish communities from Fez and Tunis to Salonica, Jerusalem, and Livorno.By examining cultural centers and tracing the journey of these texts, Sienna provides depth to our understanding of a remarkably global and worldly book culture, and its evolving role in the growth of Jewish modernity.

While the content of Jewish books has long fascinated scholars, Jewish Books in North Africa shifts our focus to the physical context. These books were not isolated artifacts; they were embedded in cultural networks during a period of religious, political, and cultural transformation. Sienna’s work sheds light on the intricate interplay between books and the dynamic world in which they existed.

Noam Sienna is a scholar of Jewish culture in the Islamic world, focusing on book history and material culture. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the University of Toronto, where he studies Jewish books in the medieval and early modern Mediterranean as part of the interdisciplinary project Hidden Stories: New Approaches to the Local and Global History of the Book.