The Oursler-Perkins Rubáiyat of Omar Kháyyám (1916?) - examined by Kyle Hutchins

Rubáiyat of Omar Kháyyám is a collection of Persian quatrains penned by titular astronomer-poet Kháyyám during the 11th century, translated into English and organized into a rough plot by 19th century English aristocrat Edward FitzGerald. This undated edition, presumed to be a product of the early-twentieth century, was published by the Hubbell Publishing Company in New York and manufactured by R & R Clark Limited in Edinburgh, according to the front and back cover interiors, respectively. There is no assertion of which specific translation is used, seeing as FitzGerald…

In her book On Exhibit: Victorians and Their Museums, Barbara Black asserts that popular consumption of Edward FitzGerald's Rubáiyat of Omar Kháyyám, specifically within the context of its proliferation as a gift book, is inextricably tied to a materialistic "thrill involved in possession" reminiscent of colonialist mores (61). By "dressing the Persian in English guise and then demanding a Persian 'impersonation'," which Black finds evident in FitzGerald's footnotes indicating the use of Persian for "evocative effect rather than substantive meaning," the translation…

Central to the Oursler-Perkins edition of Rubáiyat of Omar Kháyyám are its colorful illustrative bookplates, courtesy of artist Gilbert James. Twelve of these inserts are scattered seemingly at random throughout the volume, their placement bearing relation neither to preceding nor subsequent quatrains. James’ work is rich in detail, focusing on a decidedly ‘exotic’ view of Kháyyám’s time and particularly concerned with displaying a pleasure-fueled lifestyle via copious amounts of food, wine, and nudity. The drawings rarely appear to attempt direct portrayal of their respective…

Unlike many of its contemporaries within the Sigurd Peterson collection, this edition of Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is undated, aside from an archival note [See image 1] suggesting a possible creation year of 1916. The gift book’s interior provides little direct evidence of a publication date. An inscription reading ‘Christmas 1922’ found within its front cover [See image 2] provides a partial boundary, while the succinctly scribbled price listing of one dollar could be adjusted for inflation in order to further assess an approximate date range, but without…