Greiger/Grager/Gregar; Redeemer; Vanilla Coke; General Gau; Deep Doo-Doo,...

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 08/06/2002 2:17:13 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Bapopik at AOL.COM writes:

> JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA---Yes, I'm aware of this work.  I question the copyright
>  of some material.  Jim Landau used a 1905 edition, which mentioned the NYPL
>  and some work from November 1903.  I've seen 1903, 1909, and later
editions.
>  The edition on the open shelf in the Jewish Division is after 1903.

Then you might be interested in the following book:
Shuly Rubin Schwartz, _ Emergence of Jewish Scholarship in America: The
Publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia (Monographs of the Hebrew Union
College, No. 13)_  Cincinnati (?): Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion; ISBN: 0878204121; (June 1991).  [bibliographic data from
www.amazon.com]

I recommend InterLibrary Loan---Amazon.com has this book on "Special Order,
allow 3 to 5 weeks" (but also has a used copy on sale).  Amazon.com may have
the title reversed and it should be "The Publication of the Jewish
Encyclopedia: The Emergence of Jewish Scholarship in America".

If I remember the book correctly (I got it on ILL several years ago), there
has been one and only one edition of the Jewish Encyclopedia.  This edition
came out in 12 volumes which were issued over the period 1901 through 1905,
which is why each volume has its own copyright date.

The copy I have is a mix of the first and second printings, mostly the
second, in which the volumes have copyright dates such as "1903, 1910".
There is at least one more printing by Funk and Wagnall's, which has
copyright dates that include years such as 1916 (this is from comparing my
copy to my rabbi's and finding mine was earlier, but we did not go volume by
volume.)  Ktav put out a printing circa 1970 that, from its less crisp
typography, appears to be a photoreproduction.

I have access to a first printing and I have done a quick comparison oif the
two.  The only changes I was able to find were the copyright dates and a
piece of Exacto-knife work to the title page.  Therefore I have always gone
with the earliest copyright date on each volume.  If you can demonstrate
changes between the printings, PLEASE tell me so I will not make this mistake
again.

>     I am aware that it does not have "latkes."

I checked under every heading I could think of and did not find "latkes" (and
for that matter, only one mention of potatoes)

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Other food items:  I have no recollection of ever encountering "wet fries"
anywhere.  "Cheese fries" ("cheeze fries" in the original e-mail---was this a
typo or the actual spelling used?) are common in this area, but since at
least one national chain sells them, I don't plan to research them as a
possible regional item.

Vanilla cokes, cherry cokes, etc. were in my experience widely available in
the 1960's and I am sure earlier.  Any soda fountain carries vanilla, cherry,
lemon, and other flavorings for milk shakes and only the grumpiest soda jerk
will refuse to add these flavorings to a soft drink.  In 1963 I asked at a
soda fountain for a "lemon coke" and the attendant, who apparently had a
hearing problem, gave me a quart of milk.

A concoction from my college dorm days which apparently never caught on: a
"Sproke", which is half Sprite and half-Coca Cola.

              - James A. Landau