1909 Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Description

Colour Plates, Illustrated, Leather Binding, Publishers' Original Binding, Signed

Signed by the illustrator to the limitation leaf.

A limited edition work. Limited to 750 copies. This copy is numbered 491.

Illustrated with a tipped-in colour frontispiece, and nineteen plates tipped-in colour plates.

Collated, complete.

'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' was the title that Edward Fitzgerald gave to his 1859 translation of Khayyam's poems. However, Fitzgerald's translations are fairly loose, he referred to his work on them as 'transmogrification'. Some consider that his translation of 'Rubaiyat' could be considered as Fitzgerald's own original poetry that are simply loosely based on Khayyam's quatrains.

Omar Khayyam was a Persian mathematician and astronomer, born in the 2nd Century. He was famously known during his lifetime as a mathematician, and has only earned the reputation of a poet after his death. Of the poems attributed to him, some are doubtful in their authenticity, however he gained great popularity after Fitzgerald's translation was published.

Illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Dulac was a French British illustrator, known for his book illustrations, and stamp designs. His first commision was the illustrated the novels of the Bronte Sisters. The stamps he designed heralded the beginning of the Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

Suitable for rebinding.