Edmund Dulac’s Opulent “Rubaiyat”
The Gift Book for the Year 1909
First Edition
[Dulac, illus.]. THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM, Rendered Into English Verse by Edward Fitzgerald (London: Hodder and Stoughton, [1909]) First edition. The poem taken from the second Quaritch edition of the 19th century (with the additional quatrains added). 20 tipped-in color plates by Edmund Dulac mounted on cream colored sheets with elaborate border designs, another border design encloses each page of the text. 4to, publisher’s original full white polished buckram lettered and elaborately decorated in gilt on spine and upper cover. The decorated cover depicts a wreath, composed at the top of two peacocks and at the bottom, of two elephants facing. A lovely copy of this very beautifully produced book, the text block and plates all in fine condition, the white cloth with virtually no wear and just a bit of mellowing, the gilt well preserved and just occasionally mellowed.
FIRST EDITION OF THE WONDERFUL ISSUE ILLUSTRATED BY EDMUND DULAC. Announced in June 1909, Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of the 12th century Persian RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM, newly illustrated by Edmund Dulac, became the Gift Book of the year.
Each page of verses or quatrains was printed on heavy paper surrounded by delicate borders and was frequently interspersed with Dulac’s evocative paintings. After the RUBAIYAT’s publication in America, its US publisher wrote of the book--”In point of excellence of art, popularity, distinction and profit the crowning achievement...was the publication of the Fitzgerald version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam illustrated by Edmund Dulac. The book was a joy and a treasure, Its public acceptance was immediate and great.” -A.Hughey.
One can see why the book received such immediate and unalloyed admiration. |
