The Chaldean priest Jacob Eugene Manna (1867-1928) was an accomplished Syriac scholar, having been involved with educational and publishing efforts at the Seminary of St. John in Mosul and the Dominican Press. The last in a series of three works dealing with Syriac—the first two were a grammar (1896) and a Syriac-Arabic dictionary (1900, available from Gorgias Press)—the present two volumes, also known under the French title Morceaux choisis de littérature araméenne, constitute a thorough sampling of Syriac literature in various genres and from various time periods, including some lesser-known authors and some works published nowhere else. The text is presented in vocalized east Syriac script, and Manna introduces each author (in Syriac) before giving the text, and each volume concludes with a table of contents listing each selection included. This chrestomathy stands out among the several available for Syriac because of its size, the fact that it is fully vocalized, and the breadth of authors represented.
