A beautiful copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám with 16 colour-plate illustrations after the Hungarian artist Willy Pogany (1882-1955).

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).

Tall 8vo ( x 15.5 cm); 16 mounted colour-plates, these and verses framed in decorative blue borders, further decorations also in blue, a small ink spot to extreme bottom edge of one leave, light genenral age-toning to paper, otherwise near-fine; contemporary full dark tree calf, the upper board blocked with a decorative vine leaf scheme in gilt, the central roundel partially coloured in green, the rear board identically blocked in blind, the spine similarly tooled in gilt, the vine leaves coloured green, top edge gilt, others untrimmed, upper free endpaper excised, a hint of rubbing to corners, otherwise also nearl-fine.