Rubaiyat - #55

My edition was published in approximately 1935, by the now-defunct Thomas Y Crowell Company in New York. Like most editions, it is titled as Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, written in a font that seems reminiscent of Arabic lettering, presumably for the intent of making the book seem more “authentic” and “exotic”. In total, this book is 96 pages long, and contains two separate translations of the original Rubáiyát, the first and the fourth editions of Edward Fitzgerald’s translations. 

This book has both color-and-black and white illustrations, with the…

In Barbara Black’s work, On Exhibit: Victorians and Their Museums, she argues that the beautification of the Rubáiyát is directly related to its status as a piece of culturally appropriated literature. She argues that, through his translations, FitzGerald softened the appearance of the poem, commodified it, and made it seem less daunting, less other, through the use of his editing and changes. Through his translations and the commodification of the book, Black argues that Victorian and, in this context, 1930s-era publishers and readers have removed it from its…

For this close reading, I have selected a related stanza and piece of artwork from my edition. These two elements contribute to the poem’s message about enjoyment and value of the physical world, through its beautiful portrayal of nature, vibrant colors, and depiction of what appears to be a romantic moment between a couple.  

On page 55 of this 1935 edition of the Rubáiyát, one can read a translation of stanza 12 of the poem (see fig. 1), which reads, “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,//A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread—and Thou//Beside me singing in the…

There are many editions of Rubáiyát from numerous publishers and artists, featuring a wide variety of designs and styles. However, this edition is of particular interest.  

This Rubáiyát edition comes from somewhere around 1935, though the exact date of its publication is unclear. It was made and published by the now-defunct Thomas Y. Crowell publishing company, which was founded in 1834 by Benjamin Bradley. This publisher had many fields, but was focused primarily on fiction, was based in New York, and was the publisher of many children’s…

To my dearest wife, 

In celebration of our tenth anniversary, I present to you this book, with two translations of Rubáiyát, one of your favorite poems. 

I found this edition in a bookstore on my recent trip to New York. The green cloth cover and its beautiful gold embossing reminded me of your lovely green eyes and your love of life’s small luxuries. Those dainty earrings you love so much had a similar design to the florals I saw in much of the artwork, so I knew you would appreciate the style. 

The illustrator, Willy Pogány, I…