Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám #62

Of the over 100 antique gift books in the Dr. Sigurd H. Peterson Memorial Collection, edition number 62 appears, at first glance, fairly unassuming. It is a hardcover edition, bound in red cloth, 25 cm. On the front cover, the title is in a Persian-calligraphy inspired typeface, alongside a fairly simple arabesque, both stamped in gold gilt. The title on the spine is also stamped in gilt, and the pages are topstained red. As gift books go, this is a modest exterior, but what’s most striking about this book is its interior.

The text is Edmund FitzGerald’s first edition translation of…

This particular edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám has heavy erotic undertones to it, even beyond the hedonism that is found in portions of the original text. Willy Pogány’s illustrations highlight the eroticism of some stanzas, but also create erotic tension in stanzas that may otherwise be read as strictly philosophical. A prime example of this is the illustration paired with stanza XXXVI.

The text of stanza XXXVI is
For in the Market-place, one Dusk of Day,
I watch'd the Potter thumping his wet Clay:
And with its all obliterated…

If you were to seek out a 1942 copy of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, translated by Edward FitzGerald and presented by Willy Pogány, you would find two different editions that fit this description. The first would be an incredibly ornate version bound in red leather, decoratively tooled and elaborately gilded. The second would be the edition housed in the Special Collections & Archives Research Center at Oregon State University. This version is far less flashy, understated while still holding a sense of esteem. The book is bound in red cloth; the title on the cover and the…