The Sufistic Quatrains Of Omar Khayyam. Translations by Edward Fitzgerald HC 1903

Series Title: Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Story Title: The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam

Date of Publication: 1903

Edition: First Edition HC (Hardcover)

Publisher: M. Walter Dunne (New York & London)

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Writers: Omar Khayyam (translated by Edward Fitzgerald – 101 quatrains, with analysis by Edward Heron-Allen; also includes translations by E.H. Whinfield – 500 quatrains and J.B. Nicolas – 464 quatrains)

Illustrations in the 1903 M. Walter Dunne Edition

The book contains 3 full-page illustrations (plus coloured frontispiece).

They are produced as photogravures on Japan vellum (with some hand-painted or tinted reproductions in the deluxe issues of this Universal Classics Library series).

The specific plates are:

• Frontispiece: The Tomb of Omar in colour (from an old painting by an unknown artist) 
• Facing page 100: The Approach to Naishapur (from a painting by I.R. Herbert)
• Facing page 210: Sufi Mystics Gathered for Meditation (from an old painting by a Pushtu artist)

Key Facts: This 1903 edition, published by M. Walter Dunne, presents The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam in definitive form. It includes Edward Fitzgerald’s famous rendering of 101 quatrains (with Edward Heron-Allen’s detailed analysis comparing them to the Persian originals), alongside E.H. Whinfield’s translation of 500 quatrains and J.B. Nicolas’s prose translation of 464 quatrains from the French. Prefaces by each translator and a general introduction are also featured. The volume is a key comparative scholarly edition of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, exploring Sufistic, philosophical, and hedonistic themes of life, mortality, wine, and fate. It remains a valuable resource for students of Persian poetry and Victorian literary adaptations.

Page Count: 394 pages

Condition: Slightly oversized octavo with original dark cloth covered boards, the pages are gilt along the top edge of the text block and a printed paper label on the spine. The overall condition is acceptable with a partially detached section at the front tenuously still sewn into the spine. The plates are all present and clean with protective tissue paper. The spine is slightly loose at the top. The pages edges are rough cut. Previous owner's name inside. Please refer to photos for condition