French National Library in Paris have put up a part of their manuscript collection online here. Some of their Hebrew manuscripts are online as well here. Just search for “hébreu” and they will pop up.
HebrewBooks.org just announced that they opened up a new website dedicated to Hebrew manuscripts called HebrewManuscripts.org. So far they have 1000 manuscripts from the JTS library. Each manuscript can be downloaded in a convenient PDF. Unfortunately the manuscripts are scanned in 2 color, like books, and are not high resolution so some of them are either very hard or impossible to read. Hopefully they will improve the site with time and will put up color, high resolution scans. It’s a great start.
Munich Library Hebrew Manuscripts are available for free download from their website here including the famous complete Talmud Bavli Manuscript – Munich Cod. Hebr. 95. When you click on each manuscript in the right upper corner there will be a link PDF-Download. Click on it and it will make you a single PDF file with the whole manuscript with high resolution images.
You can also browse or search their manuscripts database here and download what ever you can find. Keep in mind that all manuscripts are cataloged in German so the spelling of many titles or descriptions is not the same as it is in English.
The complete list (in German) of all Hebrew manuscripts collected by the Munich library until 1895 can be viewed here.
Not all of them have been digitized yet, but if you check back on their website they will probably start showing up soon.
HebrewBooks.org posted today an old facsimile black and white edition of the Mishna Kaufmann Manuscript A50. It can be downloaded in a convenient PDF here. This manuscript was already online before on the Kaufmann Manuscript Collection website, in color and can be downloaded folio by folio here. Last, but not least there is a 3rd black and white scan of this manuscript on the Hebrew University’s Talmudic Manuscript Collection website and can be downloaded folio by folio here.
I came across this really nice web site which has a list of various Geniza fragments databases in various European libraries.
http://www.hebrewmanuscript.com/hebrew-fragments-databases.htm
I am relisting the more useful databases from their list below:
1) Hebrew manuscripts and fragments in Austrian libraries
The Austrian libraries database contains high resolution images of the fragments and digitized text. The web site is in German, but you can use Google Chrome or Translator to read it in English. The list of the fragments is located here.
2) Hebrew Manuscripts Database of Girona
The Girona library database is located here and contains low resolution images of each fragment. The web site is in Catalan, but you can use Google Chrome or Translator to read it in English.
I have contacted the Madrid U Library and found out from them how to get high-resolution images of their manuscripts. For details please see the previous post here.
Madrid University Library has put up online some of their Hebrew Manuscripts. The website is in Spanish, but you can use Google to translate it. Unfortunately the images are not high resolution so some of the manuscripts are really hard to read. Enjoy.
http://www.ucm.es/BUCM/blogs/Foliocomplutense/1688.php
I have contacted the library and they informed that they have high-resolution images of all of their manuscripts and they will mail them on CD to anyone who requests them for a particular manuscript, as far as I understood, for free. However they are not putting them on the web. The contacts for this at the library are:
Pilar Moreno:
Email: pmoreno@buc.ucm.es
Tel. 34 91 394 6642
Fax. 34 91 394 6599
and
Marta Torres – Library Director:
Email: mtorres@buc.ucm.es
Excellent book about the Italian Geniza fragments. Contains many photos of folios of the manuscripts in the back.
By Mauro Perani, Enrica Sagradini
I came across this fascinating website which talks about various fragments of Hebrew manuscripts that were discovered in book bindings. The site contains some nice images of selected fragments. Read it here.
