Omar Khayyam

A first edition, illustrated copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

• Omar Khayyám (Persian).
• Illustrated by Willy Pogany.
• Lithograph-printed by McLagan & Cumming of Edinburgh.
• London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1909.
• Octavo.
• 16 tipped-in color-plates.
• Bound in blue-green morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe for Marshal Field and Company, panels ruled in gilt, gilt spine in 6 compartments, all edges gilt.

This edition was based on Edward Fitzgerald's translation, first published in 1859. The poem presents an interesting challenge to any reader trying to sort through its profound symbolism and not-so-obvious theme, and gained recognition over the course of the nineteenth century as a growing 'cult of the Rubáiyát' found expression in 'the Omar Khayyám Clubs of England and America' (Yohannan, p.202).