COVE

This specific edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám was published by Random House in 1947. The collection of poems is believed to be written by Omar Khayyám and translated into English by Edward FitzGerald. This edition of the Rubáiyát is a complete reprint of the first edition, and the combined third, fourth and fifth editions. This book is comprised of 149 pages total, with alternating prints and borders on each page. The designs of these prints work well with each other as they all contain something of what English and American readers at the time would have found to be “exotic”. Some of the animals featured are gazelles, butterflies and peacocks. In addition to those, one of the alternating patterns depicts a female shepard and her sheep; she is adorned with a shepherd’s hook and what looks to be traditional African clothing. She is printed in such a way that readers might assume her to be dancing or participating in some type of performance.

Along with the woman and the animals, there are many “exotic” appearing plants littering the prints with large sprawling leaves and draped vinery working to convey the image of luxury and “a land far far away”. When reading Edward FitzGerald’s first edition, this book contains illustrations on every third page. For the combined later editions of FitzGerald’s translations there are illustrations every four to five pages. All of the illustrations done within the book are the work of Mahmoud Sayah who, like Khayyám, was Persian, (the edition describes him as Iranian), and took great inspiration from Persian art when illustrating these images. He was specifically inspired by the art style known as Persian Miniatures. Just as its name describes, these are petite illustrations designed with the intention of giving a visual image to the literary plot, thus, making the reading more enjoyable and easier to understand. Sayah’s illustrations in this book are full of color and detail, often depicting men of monetary means, wine and women. Sayah doesn’t stick to a specific era of Persian Miniature style, he blends multiple together. The images commonly display at least one figure with their head tilted to one side, almost appearing to look directly at the reader. Sayah’s illustrations feel lush and pleasurable, pairing brilliantly with the text of the poems.

It is unclear whether or not this edition was distributed with or without a slip cover, as there is no title on the front of the edition, just one along the spine written in glittering gold print. Regardless of the cover, the outside of the book is patterned with detailed illustrations of grapes and grape plants. The vines of the grapes linger all over the cover of the book meeting with intricate illustrations of grape leaves oriented towards the grapes. The cover pattern is printed in red against a black background. This edition has the unique pleasure of staying especially close to the text itself. This is due to the book being  decorated with illustrations inspired by Persian art and images of grapes harkening back to the ever present theme of pleasure by way of wine found in many of the poem’s lines.