Rubáiyát Of Omar Khayyám, The Astronomer Poet Of Persia: Rendered Into English Verse -

Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1881. Early American edition. Octavo (17.5cm). In green publisher's cloth, stamped in black and gold on front board, titled in gold on spine, all edges stained red; brown coated endpapers; foliated 77, [2]ll. Printed in two colors, on rectos only. A bright, square, tight copy, rubbed at edges, with fraying to head and tail; internally clean, aside from one or two contemporary pencil marks: Very Good. Though the title page states "First American from the Third London edition," the true first American was published by James R. Osgood in 1878. Nevertheless, this is a handsome, early American edition.

London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd, 1896. 210 x 152 mm. (8 1/4 x 6"). 2 p.l., 112 pp.Translated by Edward FitzGerald. ESPECIALLY ELEGANT OLIVE BROWN MOROCCO, LAVISHLY GILT, BY ZAEHNSDORF (signed on front turn-in and with the stamped oval, normally marking the firm's best work, on the rear pastedown), covers elaborately gilt with border of multiple fillets, cresting wave roll, and lily cornerpieces enclosing a center panel with an all-over profusion of flowers, leaves, and tendrils on four vertically scrolling vines, raised bands, foliate spray compartments, with tendrils rising alternately either to the right or the left, fine gilt floral and foliate inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, other EDGES UNTRIMMED AND UNOPENED. Paas 3043. ◆Isolated trivial wear to extremities, but A VERY FINE COPY IN AN ESPECIALLY PLEASING BINDING. This never-read copy of the most popular English poem of the 19th century comes in a binding luxuriant with flowers, transporting the reader to an exotic Persian… Read More