Exhibit:

The Rubáiyát #74

Preview of images

Front of this edition Back of this Edition Illustration of Quatrain 11 Illustration of Quatrain 7 Islamic Inspired stylized font First page of the Introduction Second Page of the Introduction Third page of the Introduction Fourth page of the Introduction Fifth page of the Introduction Sixth page of the Introduction Seventh Page of the Introduction Eight Page of the Introduction Ninth Page of the Introduction Tenth Page of the Introduction Eleventh Page of the Introduction Twelfth Page of the Introduction Thirteenth Page of the Introduction Last Page of the Introduction This is what an average page of the book looks like
Title Page of this Edition Image of Verse eleven Image of Verse fourty.
Stanza Eleven Image of Stanza Eleven Front of book
Slipcover
Man drinking wine in paradise Man thumping clay

This edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is published by Collins Clear-Type Press in London and Glasgow sometime in the late 1940s to early 1950s. It contains both FitzGerald's First and Second translations of Omar Khayyám's poems.

Images in this Exhibit

Description of The Edition
Front of this edition Back of this Edition Illustration of Quatrain 11 Illustration of Quatrain 7 Islamic Inspired stylized font First page of the Introduction Second Page of the Introduction Third page of the Introduction Fourth page of the Introduction Fifth page of the Introduction Sixth page of the Introduction Seventh Page of the Introduction Eight Page of the Introduction Ninth Page of the Introduction Tenth Page of the Introduction Eleventh Page of the Introduction Twelfth Page of the Introduction Thirteenth Page of the Introduction Last Page of the Introduction This is what an average page of the book looks like

This version of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám was translated into English by Edward FitzGerald, with interesting black and white illustrations produced by Marjorie Anderson. This book was published by London: Collins Clear-Type Press sometime in the 1950s. It includes FitzGerald's first and second editions and an introduction by Laurence Housman. It is one hundred and twenty-six pages long.

This edition stands out in its simplicity. While many editions of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám have intricate and exotic decals, borders, and fonts, this edition revels in...
Gift Books and Orientalism
Title Page of this Edition Image of Verse eleven Image of Verse fourty.

Barbara Black argues in On Exhibit: Victorians and Their Museums that the Rubáiyát is in large part appropriated from Persian culture and has been Orientalized. “This poem’s value becomes inseparable from its pretty, crafted, possessable diminutiveness. Khayyám’s verse remains entrenched in the categorically Oriental, in the land of seers and Eastern serenity” (Black 61).  Black does a deep dive into several examples of text, the best example is the change from the original text “roof-top of the world” into “The Sultan’s Turret”. This supports one of Black’s arguments, “...
Close Reading
Stanza Eleven Image of Stanza Eleven Front of book

The eleventh stanza “Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, / A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse–and Thou / Beside me singing in the Wilderness– / And Wilderness is Paradise enow.” (Fitzgerald, XI) (Figure 1) is about how one should enjoy the fruits of the moment. That we should be content with the simple things in life and enjoy the present moment. The illustration that accompanies this stanza shows a man, content with his moment (Figure 2). He is surrounded by that serene paradise and enjoys some good food and wine. Although enjoying the present moment is what this stanza is about,...
How This Edition Was Made
Slipcover

This edition, like many others, began with a publisher. The publisher for this edition is Collins Clear Type Press, now known as HarperCollins. HarperCollins is considered one of the top publishers in the English-speaking world. Collins was founded in 1819 in Glasgow, Scotland. They published this version of the Rubáiyát sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s in Great Britain. They published this edition in their “Collins Greetings Booklets,” which contained other works such as “A Shakespeare Anthology”, “The Greatest Thing in the World”, and half a dozen...
Archival Speculation
Man drinking wine in paradise Man thumping clay

To my dear Allison,

First, I wish to apologize for not getting you a better gift, but this gift book was on sale, and after flipping through it, I thought you might fancy it. It’s a poem by a Persian named Omar Khayyám and translated by Edward FitzGerald. I thought you might like the introduction, it's by Laurence Housman, which details the creation of the poem and the effort FitzGerald took to translate it. There are illustrations by Marjorie Anderson, which are quite elegant but simple black and white drawings. I found the illustration that follows verse eleven, on page...