123. Sándor Scheiber (1913–1985), rabbi, linguist, literary historian.

Autograph letter to Professor Bernát Heller, beginning “Mélyen tisztelt Professor Úr” (“Most Honoured Professor”).
A highly interesting letter, written shortly after Scheiber’s arrival in London. Having recently received his doctorate and rabbinical ordination, he accepted, with Heller’s encouragement, an invitation from Oxford professors for a year of research. This may be his earliest report to his mentor about his first days abroad. He writes of his visit to Jews’ College and its Hungarian-born director Adolf Büchler (“Büchler is a broken old man, worn out in every respect, a dry figure”), who died at the end of that month. He marvels at the forty-five-thousand-volume library and mentions his plan to visit the British Museum the following day.
Scheiber also makes several requests: a portrait of Heller to keep on his desk, a reprint of one of his studies, and a recommendation letter to Arthur Marmorstein, the Miskolc-born Oxford professor. In a postscript he refers to Moses Gaster, another Oxford-based linguist who had supported his travel.
2 written page(s), with handwritten envelope enclosed. 
Dated: London, Feb. 6, 1939.
 
Starting price: 60 000,-