"The year 1958 marks the completion of ten years of existence for the State of Israel. In connection with the widespread celebrations to mark the event, the Library was approached by the Manchester Celebrations Committee with the suggestion that an exhibition of items of Hebrew interest, drawn from the Library's holding of books and manuscripts, would be both appropriate to the occasion and attractive to the public. The Library welcomed the opportunity to put on display exhibits, relative to the purpose, of rarer interest and value. The items here shown are drawn mainly from the Spencer, Crawford, and Gaster collections in the possession of the Library, Cases 1 to 5 containing manuscripts and 6 to 10 printed books."--Prefatory note.