Concio, Joseph ben Gerson

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CONCIO, JOSEPH BEN GERSON

CONCIO, JOSEPH BEN GERSON (d. c. 1628), Italian poet, scholar, and printer. Originating from *Asti in Piedmont, Concio established a Hebrew printing press in nearby *Chieri, where he began printing mostly his own small books which were generally in verse, in 1626. These included: Ateret Ẓevi, together with Ẓefirat Tifarah (1626) broad-sheets; Besamim Rosh (1627), Purim songs; Ot le-Tovah (1627), talmudic maxims and some poems; Arba'ah Rashim (1628), rhymed Midrash explanations; and Solet le-Minḥah (1628), devotional prayers. In Asti itself Concio printed in Italian Cinque enimmi (1627) and Conto di Jehudit (1628), the apocryphal Judith story. His son Abraham, piously continued to publish his father's writings: Divrei Ester (1628), allegorical commentary on Esther; Ma'gal Tov (1628), talmudic maxims in verse; Mareh Ḥayyim (1629); Mekom Binah (1630), commentary on Job from 28:12 onward; and Ḥelek le-Shivah (1632), poem for Lag ba-Omer. The only book by another author known to have been printed by the Concio family at Chieri is Isaac Lattes' Perush Ma'amar she-be-Midrash Rabbah (1628/9).

bibliography:

D.W. Amram, Makers of Hebrew Books in Italy (1909), 393.