R.F. Fenno's Edition of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a Christmas Gift

This is a gift-book edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, by Edward Fitzgerald. This book uses the fourth edition of Fitzgerald's translation of the Rubáiyát. It was published by R.F. Fenno & Company sometime in the 1880s out of New York City. The book's title page features the publisher's address.

The actual cover of the book (see image 1) is a strange texture. It is done in an embossed paper that has aged over its lifetime, and it feels odd compared to typical paper or cloth bindings. The cover features an illustration of a home-scene, with a…

In her chapter, Fugitive Articulation, Barbara Black argues that Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and the gift book culture that it spawned is an example of Orientalism. The text’s initial allure, a translation of a Persian poem about lavishing in the pleasures of life and indulging in excess, is in Black’s argument, heightened not only by Fitzgerald's translation choices but also by how the book was packaged and published. The gift book culture that the Rubáiyát spawned, Black argues, shows how what makes the text value is the idea of…

      In R. F. Fenno’s giftbook edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, the visual motifs are sparse, essentially inconsequential to the text or plot of the poem. This is unlike many other gift book editions of the Rubaiyat, where the packaging and visual components serve as the primary point of value of the text. Barbara Black argues that the gift book culture that formed around the Rubáiyát and its emphasis on the ornamental is an example of Orientalism, alongside elements of the translation done by Edward Fitzgerald. Rather, the visuals in this…

    Imagine you are pilfering through the shelves of a used book store, examining the vintage texts and come across a strangely textured paperback titled, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (Image 1). The cover is warped, almost as if it had been dropped in a mysterious liquid and then dried in the sun, and it feels like it would snap right in half if you bent it. The title is unfamiliar and there is no other information on the thin spine or back, and when you open the book to look for clues as to the origin of this strange copy, you see the only publication info (Image 2) as…

"To Dorothy,

Merry Christmas... It’s been almost half a year since we spoke last and my heart ached at the idea of not wishing you a Merry Christmas.. despite everything. I want to give you your space, but seeing this book made me think only of your lovely face. The cover so reminds me of our.. I mean… your home and the days we spent together gazing out the window. I had not seen a more exquisite cover, or window… or person… 

I had spotted it at the discount bookstore, you know the one, on 5th? That we always used to walk by. We always talked about…