Giving a Diamond

Despite the geographical distance between them, editors Wout van Bekkum (Semitic studies, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands) and Naoya Katsumata (Middle Eastern studies, Kyoto U., Japan) joined forces to assemble this collection of 15 essays honoring their revered professor of Hebrew poetry and literature at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem). They offer a brief biography of Joseph Yahalom and a bibliography listing books written in English and in Hebrew. A sampling of topics: planets in ancient Hebrew literature, the terminology of Al-Harizi's virtues debate, a Sufi collection of moral aphorisms in Judaeo-Arabic, and a 15th-century letter addressed to the dayyanim of Zaragoza. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Wout van Bekkum is Professor of Semitic Studies at the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Middle East, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands.Naoya Katsumata is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.