Original quarter calf and boards. 12mo. 96, 44, 21 pages. 17 cm. First edition. In Hebrew. Parallel title in Russian: Mikhtovim' baseyfer'. "Refael" comprises eight festival stories for children adapted from the Russian. Hebrew Haskalah childrens literature by Eli‘ezer Yitshak Shapira; he was a Warsaw bookseller and publisher of Haskalah literature, and an author of Hebrew children’s works; he was the second editor of ‘Ha-Boker Or’ “a significant vehicle for the literature of the late Haskalah … regarded as one of the first stages in the birth of a center of modern Hebrew literature in Warsaw. ” (Yivo Encyclopedia) “The first publishing house of Hebrew books for children and adolescents, Bet ha-Otsar (Treasure House) , was established in Warsaw in 1875 by Eli‘ezer Yitshak Shapira (1835–1915/9) ; it was devoted mainly to historical stories. ” (Yivo Encyclopedia) The bookseller Shapira “was the chief agent of the newspaper Hamaggid (The Preacher) and publisher of the well known Haskala poet and author, Judah Leib Gordon. ” (‘The Jewish book shop in the urban Landscape of eastern europe at the end of the 19th century’, by Hagit Cohen) . Shapira was the author of Reshimat sefrei haskala yeshanim ve khadashim [List of old and new Haskala books]; and translator of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard's Almanack” into Hebrew: “Yad Harutsim”, 1879. Subjects: Letter writing, Hebrew. Fasts and feasts - Judaism - Juvenile literature. Hebrew literature for children. Haskalah. Maskilim. OCLC lists 7 copies. Last page (21) absent. Boards and leather worn and rubbed, Yiddish writing on endpages, overall fresh and clean. Good + condition. (KH-1-54)