Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam - Edward Fitzgerald - Edmund Dulac - First edition thus - Vintage Book

Edmund Dulac illustrated edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward Fitzgerald.

Translated by Edward Fitzgerald. Illustrated by Edmund Dulac. 1952, first edition thus. Doubleday & Co.

A lovely deluxe edition of three of Fitzgerald's translations of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, famously illustrated by Edmund Dulac.

"Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the EAst ahs caught
The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light."
- Pg 41, first stanza, first edition of the translation

"Wake! For the Sun behind yon Eastern height
Has chased the Session of the Stars from Night;
And, to the field of Heav'n ascending, strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light."
- Pg 179, first stanza, second edition of the translation

"Wake! For the Sun, who scatter'd into flight
The Stars before him from the Field of Night,
Drives Night along with them from Heav'n,
and strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light."
- Pg 135, first stanza, fifth edition of the translation

English poet and writer Edward FitzGerald (1809 – 1883) was the first to translate The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam from Persian to English. Fitzgerald's translation, in five authorized editions - 1859, 1868, 1872, 1879 - became the most-famous and introduced The Rubaiyat into the canon of great world literature. Scholars argue the authorship of the poems, whether entirely by Omar or various authors, but their beauty and literary value endure.

Front flap:

"To Edward Fitzgerald the world owes the Rubaiyat, for it had previously been buried in obscurity. Fitzgerald's rendition of the beautiful lines of Omar into English verse has stood for many years as a monument to the translator's artistry. This volume contains the first English edition, the second, and the fifth. All of their stanch defenders."

Artist Edmund Dulac (1882 - 1953) was one of the most popular illustrators of the early 20th century, remembered most for his illustrations of Hans Christian Andersen's stories. His work for the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, among other works, was commissioned by publishers Hodder & Stoughton to showcase the latest full-color printing technologies of the time.

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Condition*: Near Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Two small closed tears on the front; one small closed tear on the back; price-clipped; minor shelf wear. Gift inscription on the front flyleaf.

*Based on guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.