Does anyone know precisely which volume of the Talmud Charles Alkan was reaching for when the bookcase fell and killed him?

collect

None. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Valentin_Alkan "Alkan died in Paris at the age of 74. For many years it was believed that his death was caused by a bookcase falling on him in his home, brought down as he reached for a volume of the Talmud from a high shelf. This apocryphal tale, which appears to have been circulated by Delaborde, has been effectively disproved by Hugh MacDonald in an article in the Musical Times (vol. 129, 1978 - More on Alkan's Death), in which he reports a contemporary letter from one of Alkan's pupils explaining that Alkan had died following being trapped beneath a falling port-parapluie (a heavy coat/umbrella rack). The story of the bookcase may have its roots in a legend told of the Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Asher, known as 'Shaagat Aryeh', rabbi of Metz, the town from which Alkan's family originated. (See also talk page for discussion of Alkan's death). Alkan is buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris." May 07 07, 6:04 AM