An author's guide: Authorship Of hasidic compendia

Authorship is an elusive concept, particularly when speaking of religious writing. This article investigates the intensive printing of Hasidic compendia starting in the second half of the nineteenth century through the first decades of the twentieth century. It attempts to show the process in which these collections were created and then became part of the movements' heritage. In the centre of this description stands a micro-historical incident, telling the story of one Hasidic author, and an understanding of the complex relationship between oral and written traditions.