In Genizah Fragments Volume 5 Dr Paul Fenton dated this Hebrew print in the Genizah Collection to the late fourteenth century, 100 years earlier than the generally accepted date for the rise of Hebrew printing in Europe.

Although the fragment in question, from the Cairo Genizah, had been acquired by Cambridge University Library at about the same time as the Taylor-Schechter Collection - but on that occasion from a Jewish dealer in antiquities - its possible significance for the history of printing had escaped the attention of specialists.

Dr Fenton's opinion was that it is, in fact, an example of a Hebrew block-print, produced by the process of printing from carved wooden blocks. This technique was imported from China to mediaeval Egypt, where it was employed by the Muslims, mainly for the reproduction of charms and amulets, until the middle of the fourteenth century.

Having earlier found examples of such Arabic block-prints, Dr Fenton surmised that the Jews of Egypt may also have noted and adopted this method. The nature of the crudely executed Hebrew text - which translates into ``Blessed are you in your coming in, and blessed are you in your going out" - offers some support for his theory.

Following lively discussions between Dr Fenton and his colleagues in the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, two experts in oriental paper from the University of London were consulted. These specialists, who have at times been called on by the forensic department of Scotland Yard for advice, found no reason to quarrel with the suggested date and provenance.

In Genizah Fragments Volume 6 The late Professor S. D. Goitein preferred a slightly later date and provided some further comments:

``The mediaeval print, Or. 1080 J50, is described in detail in my book, A Mediterranean Society, volume iv, p. 123.

The late eminent historian of Islamic art, Richard Ettinghausen, ascribed the print to the fifteenth century (orally, when I showed it to him). As a matter of precaution, I noted (ibid., p. 382, n.100) that he ascribed it to the late Mamluk period.

A reduced photograph of the fragment is printed in the Encyclopaedia Judaica, volume vii, p. 912, with the comment: `a fragment from a Bible, Egypt (?), 13th century (?)', which is misleading. This is a placard, not part of a book".