Reich & Ahim Goldenberg Books
Last content review: 2026-06-29
Introduction
Chaim Reich, the owner of Renaissance Hebraica, publishes reproductions of rare Hebrew books. Reich Books are often “limited edition[s] of not more than 500 numbered copies”. Aḥim Goldenberg publishes professionally bound photocopy reproductions of rare Hebrew books. When searching OCLC, one will often find copy for the original version instead of the facsimile. It is generally easier to create a new record using the original version as a template than to create a new record from scratch.
Cataloging Guidance
Sources of Information
Reich Books generally have more than one possible source of information. The books often contain a citation for the original version of the work taken from Otsar ha-Sefer ha-‘Ivri and/or other bibliographies. Both Reich and Ahim Goldenberg books contain the original title page as part of the reproduction. Neither of these is used as the chief source of information. The former cannot be used because it is merely a citation. The latter cannot be used because its use would render the book indistinguishable from the original work. Since these sources cannot be used as the chief source of information, we instead gather information from either the cover or the spine of the book. As a result, all records for Reich or Aḥim Goldenberg Books must have a note that is formatted in one of the following two ways:
500 ## $a Cover title.
or...
500 ## $a Spine title.
The title on the cover or the spine often varies from the title on the title page of the original version of the work. In order to provide access to the work through its original title page title, add a Varying Form of Title, formatted as follows:
246 1# $i Title from original title page: $a Title : $b Remainder of Title
Publication and Original Version Information
The publication information for Reich Books is always as follows:
264 #1 $a [Brooklyn, New York] : $b [Renaissance Hebraica], $c [Date?]
The publication information for Aḥim Goldenberg books can usually be found on the verso of the original title page, as follows:
264 #1 $a Brooklyn, N.Y. : $b Aḥim Goldenberg, $c Date.
Reprint Books get a structured related manifestation note to give the attributes of the original version, formatted as follows:
775 08 $i Reproduction of (manifestation): $a Author $t Title $d Place of Publication : Publisher, Date. $h pages : illustrations ; cm $w (OCoLC)control number.
Fixed Fields
Certain sections of the fixed field must be given special attention when cataloging Reich and Ahim Goldberg Books. The following table gives those sections and the values they are to be given.
Section | Value |
CP (Place of Publication) | nyu |
PC (Type of Date/Publication Status) | r |
PD (Date) | Date of Reprint/Date of Orig. |
Reich Book Example
Example:
040 ## $a NYP $b eng $e rda $c YUS $d OCL $d OCLCG $d OCLCQ $d OCLCO $d YUS
050 #4 $a PJ4556 $b .I83 1994
100 1# $a Isaac ben Samuel, $c ha-Levi, $d 1580-1646? $e author.
245 10 $a Śiaḥ Yitsḥaḳ : $b yesode diḳduḳ / $c R. Yitsḥaḳ b.R. Shemuʼel ha-Leṿi.
246 1# $i Title from original title page: $a Sefer Śiaḥ Yitsḥak : $b ha-kolel kol ʻinyene diḳduḳ leshon ha-ḳodesh ...
264 #1 $a [Brooklyn, New York] : $b [Renaissance Hebraica], $c [1994?]
300 ## $a 67 leaves, that is, 134 pages ; $c 22 cm
336 ## $a text $b txt $2 rdacontent
337 ## $a unmediated $b n $2 rdamedia
338 ## $a volume $b nc $2 rdacarrier
500 ## $a Spine title.
650 #0 $a Hebrew language $x Grammar $v Early works to 1800.
650 #0 $a Hebrew language $x Verb $v Early works to 1800.
775 08 $i Reproduction of (manifestation): $a Isaac ben Samuel, ha-Levi, 1580-1646? $t Sefer Śiaḥ Yitsḥak. $d Bazilya : [s.n., 387, 1626 or 1627] $h 67 leaves ; 21 cm. $w (OCoLC)63667889
Final subdivision $v Early works to 1800 is O.K. because the text originally was published before 1800 and appears in this edition unchanged (SCM H1576).
Related document: https://yalelibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/x/P4A-F