Földvári Books

The Most Reliable Source of the Tiszaeszlár Blood Libel Trial

Jóba, Elek [editor]

[Tisza-Eszlár. (Daily Bulletin.) Based on the Shorthand Notes Recorded During the Trial, Published by “Nyirvidék”. (Nr. 1–29.) {Bound With:} Closing Arguments of the Prosecution and Defense. Published After the Shorthand Notes by “Nyirvidék”.] [Tisza-Eszlár. (Napi értesítő.) A Tisza-eszlári Bűnper végtárgyalása alkalmából, gyorsirói felvétel nyomán kiadja a „Nyirvidék” szerkesztősége.] (1–29. szám.)] [Bound With:] Vád és véd-beszédek a Tisza-eszlári Bűnper végtárgyalálása alkalmából. Gyorsirói jegyzetek nyomán kiadja: a “Nyirvidék” szerkesztősége.

Nyiregyháza: Nyirvidék: (Nyomtatott Pringer és Jóba könyvnyomdájában), 1883. In somewhat later half cloth. With the formerly unrecorded, green, printed wrappers of the “Debrecen-edition” mounted on front panel. Possessor’s inscription on front panel (Miklós Preiser). [2 (title page of the 2nd part)] (340 [of 342]) p.; [3]–68 p. Pages yellowed, fragile, occasionally chipped due to the acidic paper. Title page of the second part bound to the front. Wanting the last annex (to issue no. 29; 2 pages). Pages numbered in pencil. Few notes in pencil. Title page restored with some loss. Closed tears in the first part, restored with Japanese paper tape (p.156, 201–212 , 305), p. 205 open tear with some loss to the text at the upper edge. Missing upper corners to pp. 65–72 (1st part) with unimportant loss to the headers, and in the 2nd part: p. 15, 22 (tiny loss of text). Brown stains to pp. 17–20 (2nd part). Otherwise in fine condition.

Contemporary, semiofficial transcript of the entire process of the anti-Jewish, anti-Semite trial of the Tiszaeszlár Blood Libel; the most reliable primary source of the trial.

The Tiszaeszlár Blood Libel was an accusation of Jewish ritual murder in the Hungarian village of Tiszaeszlár. On April 1, 1882 a 14 years old Christian girl named Eszter Solymosi disappeared. The rumor started to spread in the village that the Jews killed her to use her blood for the rituals of the approaching Passover. The accusation led to the arrest and imprisonment of thirteen local Jews, and a six-week trial between June 19 and August 3, 1883, which is known the first formal prosecution in Europe for blood libel. The course of the trial was carried out in an atmosphere made tense by antisemitic propaganda and agitation. The height of the trial took place on July 30th, the closing argument of the defense counsel Károly Eötvös, a seven hour impassioned plea relied on forensic medicine. The case resulted with the acquittal and release of the accused Jews on the 3rd of August.

Elek Jóba’s Tisza-Eszlár Bulletin was an unbiased, objective and reliable source of the trial, restricted itself only to the facts, which in itself was a statement among the ongoing hysterical circumstances. The paper was published on each day of the trial. The shorthand reports recorded in the courtroom were briefly edited, set and published more than once a day, and from the fifth issue on, the Bulletin was annexed with one to three, two to four-page sections, depending on how much of the editing and printing was done. Because of the haste only the first eight numbers had nameplates, the rest of the issues titled in the folio line. The slightly edited closing arguments were published separately in a 68-page extra brochure in the same format, with a separate title page (here bound to the front). Eötvös’ closing argument, the longest, could be found on pp. 35–57.

Tisza-eszlár Bulletin is an extremely scarce and highly important primary source of this major, internationally followed, modern antisemitic affair, the first formal prosecution for blood libel, and the first ritual murder trial in which forensic medicine and scientific procedure featured prominently in the court’s deliberations.

Provenance: Miklós Preiser (supposedly:) 1879–1939; Hungarian banker and book collector.

WorldCat locates only one copy in institutional holdings (in Hungarian).

Price: €3,000.00