[BAGHDAD RAILWAYS / JEWISH PRINTING HOUSES IN CONSTANTINOPLE] Emprunt Imperial ottoman %4 du chemin de fer de Bagdad. Duexieme et Troisieme Series. Contrat. [i.e., Ottoman Imperial Loan 4% of the Baghdad Railway...] = یوزده دؤرت فائزلی بغداد تمیوریولی

[GOVERNMENT IMPERIAL OTTOMAN, SOCIETE DU CHEMIN DE FER D'ANATOLIE & BAGDAD].

Imprimerie de Castro, Constantinople, Galata, AH 1324 = 1908.

Complete title: [BAGHDAD RAILWAYS / JEWISH PRINTING HOUSES IN CONSTANTINOPLE] Emprunt Imperial ottoman %4 du chemin de fer de Bagdad. Duexieme et Troisieme Series. Contrat. [i.e., Ottoman Imperial Loan 4% of the Baghdad Railway. Second and Third Series. Contract] = یوزده دؤرت فائزلی بغداد تمیوریولی ایکنجی و اوچونجی ترتیبلری استقراض عثمانیسینین مقاولنامهسیدر / Yüzde dört faizli Bagdad Demiryolu Ikinci ve Üçüncü tertîbleri istikrâz-i Osmânîsinin mukâvelenâmesidir.

Original greenish tan wrappers. 4to. (30 x 21 cm). Bilingual in Ottoman Turkish and French. 11 p. Occasional chippings on extremities of the front wrapper, a couple of stamps were deleted on two pages. Else, a very good copy.

Scarce bilingual statutes (in French and Ottoman Turkish) of the Imperial Ottoman Baghdad Railway Company, printed at the “De Castro” Press, one of the earliest Jewish printing houses in Galata.

This edition includes the second and third series together of the Emprunt Impérial Ottoman 4% du Chemin de Fer de Bagdad (Ottoman Imperial Loan 4% of the Baghdad Railway) and reflects the contractual framework of the railway’s financing. The first series was originally issued in 1905.

ON “DE CASTRO” PRINTING HOUSE:

In 1808, a work titled Tikuney Zohar was printed at the Hebrew printing press established by Yitshak ben Avraham Castro in the same year. It appears that the press did not publish any works until 1823, when printing resumed. From that year onward, books bore the imprint “Yitshak de Castro and Sons.” The place of printing was recorded as “el Saray de İngiliz (the English Palace).” Castro, who did the typesetting of the books in his own home, used the English Palace in Constantinople as the printing house.

This press primarily published Ladino works translated from Hebrew. Among these were books such as Ben Sira, Sefer ha-Yashar, and Kav ha-Yashar, along with various collections of responsa and sermons. The most remarkable works published by this press were two books written in opposition to Christianity and British missionary activities. The press remained active until 1848, closing after the death of Yitshak Castro.

After 1849, two Hebrew printers were active in Istanbul: Nisim de Castro and Moshe de Castro. They are believed to have been the sons of Yitshak Castro, and following their father’s death, each established his own independent printing house. Between 1849 and 1850, Nisim de Castro’s press produced three books, two in Hebrew and one in Ladino. Moshe de Castro’s press issued two Hebrew works, one in 1849 and another in 1862. This press continued to operate under the name “Castro Press,” publishing two additional Ladino books in 1877 and 1925. In 1853, Leon Haim de Castro, likely a descendant, launched and edited Or Israël (The Light of Israel), the first Jewish newspaper published in Istanbul. (Meral).

As of May 2025, OCLC lists only two copies worldwide: one at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, and another at the Universitätsbibliothek Bamberg (1158592367 and 634693982). No copies are recorded in U.S. libraries.