{"product_id":"the-aleppo-codex-in-pursuit-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-coveted-sacred-and-mysterious-books-9781616202781","title":"The Aleppo Codex: In Pursuit of One of the World's Most Coveted, Sacred, and Mysterious Books","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A brilliant non-fiction thriller about an ancient copy of the Torah. Highly recommended.\" \u003cbr\u003e --Paulo Coelho, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Winner of the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A thousand years ago, the most perfect copy of the Hebrew Bible was written. It was kept safe through one upheaval after another in the Middle East, and by the 1940s it was housed in a dark grotto in Aleppo, Syria, and had become known around the world as the Aleppo Codex. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Journalist Matti Friedman's true-life detective story traces how this precious manuscript was smuggled from its hiding place in Syria into the newly founded state of Israel and how and why many of its most sacred and valuable pages went missing. It's a tale that involves grizzled secret agents, pious clergymen, shrewd antiquities collectors, and highly placed national figures who, as it turns out, would do anything to get their hands on an ancient, decaying book. What it reveals are uncomfortable truths about greed, state cover-ups, and the fascinating role of historical treasures in creating a national identity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriedman, Matti:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Matti Friedman's 2016 book \u003ci\u003ePumpkinflowers\u003c\/i\u003e was chosen as a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book and as one of Amazon's 10 Best Books of the Year. It was selected as one of the year's best by \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNational Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eGlobe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e. His first book, \u003ci\u003eThe Aleppo Codex\u003c\/i\u003e, won the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize and the American Library Association's Sophie Brody Medal. A contributor to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times'\u003c\/i\u003e opinion page, Friedman has reported from Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Moscow, the Caucasus, and Washington, DC, and his writing has appeared in publications such as the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Washington Post. Friedman grew up in Toronto and now lives with his family in Jerusalem.","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641731911954,"sku":"9781616202781","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ae78a615-906c-438f-9e8c-aa1c66b9168e.jpg?v=1733032656","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-aleppo-codex-in-pursuit-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-coveted-sacred-and-mysterious-books-9781616202781","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}