Thursday, June 16, 2022

Is the new Oxford Mishnah "accessible?"

EXPENSIVE ACCESS: They set out to produce an ‘accessible’ Mishnah. The price tag: $645 (Jackie Hajdenberg, JTA).

Yes, this is a problem. This article gives a fair account of all sides. It is expensive to compose, copyedit, and produce such an ambitious three-volume work. And OUP reasonably wants to recover its costs.

They hint that a less expensive version could be in the works. I hope it is. I don't know what that would involve. Certainly something in paperback/electronic format. I think there would also be a market for an inexpensive nonspecialist edition with limited or no notes.

Meanwhile, if you have enough interest in rabbinics to want this annotated translation, here are some suggestions. If you are an academic, make sure your institution's library buys it. If you are not an academic, get a membership with your local university or seminary library and press them to buy it. You might try your local public library too, but I imagine it would have to be a large branch for them to be interested.

Background here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.