COVE

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám: The Astronomer-Poet of Persia, which was rendered in English verse by Edward FitzGerald, is interesting due to the detailed black and white illustrations by Elihu Vedder. This edition was published in 1894 under one of the more prominent publishers, Houghton Mifflin and Company. It was also published under FitzGerald’s 3rd edition of his translation. The edition has many attributes that make it stand out as a collectible variant of the Rubaiyat with its gold blocked binding on the front, dedication from Elihu Vedder to his wife, vast notes with ornamental and pictorial borders, the name Florence Fernald and date 1897 annotated in one of the initial blank leaf pages, and biographical sketches of Omar Khayyám and Edward FitzGerald. Along with these attributes to the text, as mentioned above, what makes this edition stand out is the 47 illustrations by Elihu Vedder. The first unnumbered pages include a version of the poem with bordered illustrations capturing a variety of different people and themes that come up in the poem, such as nature and the afterlife. On the first page of the poem, including quatrains 1-3, we see fine line work of a woman sitting on her side and propping herself up with her right hand. She’s looking up at an angled figure, who looks back down at her, their wings lying angled behind them. In the distance, a faded figure stands, their face unrecognizable and their body hardly detailed. On the page with quatrains 17 and 18, we get an illustration of a lion and lioness; her gaze is forward, almost looking directly at the viewer, while he looks away to the right, his side profile pronounced on the page. All of the illustrations, including these two, are etched in fine line work and printed in black and white. The details of the illustrations and the uniqueness of each of them make the edition stand out as a rounded work of art. Since the edition was published during the 19th century era of the aesthetic movement, perhaps part of the focus of its being printed was to attract attention for its beauty. We can see how beauty has been championed in this edition, adding value to the beauty of art and life in not only the illustrations, but also the themes within the actual text. Going along with the idea of aesthetics, it is possible that this edition was promoted and owned as a gift book within the Victorian era. The blank leaf page, at the beginning of the book, provides an etched date and name of the most likely owner of the piece. Even her name, Florence Fernald, is written in extravagant cursive letters. Perhaps she had been gifted the edition and decided to write her name in the novel to make known it was a part of her home collection. The gold-blocked binding also gives the effect of a gift book. Its brown leather cover contrasts well with the gold blocking. The gold design of swirls, leaves, and possibly stars, creates an aesthetic effect, making it attractive to gift to a friend or family member. Although these aspects are highly attractive in the edition, there are still aspects to it that make it seem not only to have the purpose of being pretty and on display, like the purpose of many gift books of the era, but it might also have the purpose of actually being read and enjoyed. The addition of the 61 pages in the second half of the book, which provide an unillustrated version of the poem, and also the biographical sketches of Omar Khayyám and Edward FitzGerald, raises questions about what the true purpose of the edition was. As much as it appeals to the aesthetic elements of art, there is also a practicality to the edition as well, providing an easier way to actually read the poem and information on the author and translator. Overall, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám: The Astronomer-Poet of Persia has many distinct features that make it an interesting edition to analyze as it has a balance of practicality and aesthetics.