Created by Emma Geiger on Thu, 04/24/2025 - 19:40
Description:
For my edition of the Rubáiyát, I selected #65 from the SCARC inventory. Published in 1946, this volume contains both the fourth and first edition of Fitzgerald’s translation of Omar Khayyám’s poem. 138 pages are bound and protected by a hard cover enveloped in red cloth. Intricate and colorful illustrations frame each stanza, alongside artwork with pages dedicated solely to the designs. The artwork within this printing of the Rubáiyát was created by an Iranian artist named Sarkis Katchadourian. Katchadourian is well known for his work travelling India and Ceylon to preserve and recreate historical mural pieces. His artwork has been displayed internationally, in spaces such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Armenia.
Published by Grosset and Dunlap and bound by the H. Wolff Manufacturing Co. in New York CIty, the care put into this beautiful tome is evident to each reader. Offset lithography was utilized to print this book, a standard practice of the time which allowed the printers to maintain high quality editions at a more affordable cost. Instead of using the original lithograph method, a copy of the original design is transferred onto rubber, which is then used to print multiple copies of the contents. The artwork and designs were also printed using offset lithography, and when one runs their fingers across the pages this is made clear by a lack of raised texture from the paper. Embossed trim on the cover of the Rubáiyát is the only textured element of this volume. Surrounding the cover artwork, miniature floral outlines can be found within the pattern.
A.P. Tedesco was in charge of design and typography, and hand set the text in 24 pt. Weiss type. The dedication page at the back of the book which provides this information also notes that Katchadourian’s images are now the property of a man named George Markidian, a chef and restaurateur in San Francisco. Markidian was born in the Ottoman Empire, and immigrated to America to begin a new life. In San Francisco he opened a restaurant called Omar Khayyám’s, and later released a cookbook of recipes titled “Dinner at Omar Khayyám’s”. With Khayyám’s international popularity, it is not surprising that many have found success in utilizing name recognition in their own endeavor’s, but Markidian’s possession of these images perhaps displays a more profound connection with the author.
Uniquely, within this volume there are multiple little yellow sheets of paper. Each is marked with Roman numerals matching the stanza found upon the corresponding page, yet research was unable to provide a definitive answer to their purpose. When speaking to archive staff, it was hypothesized that these slips were likely compilation notes from whomever possessed the copy before Oregon State University. There are attributions on these yellow notes such as Nicolas, Whinfield, and Thompson. The individual lines each appear in conversation with one another, yet often do not tie in with the text they are found accompanying. Scattered throughout the book, these individuals seem to have been studying the Rubáiyát for their own project.