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Edward FitzGerald’s „Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám“ and Related Materials

Edward FitzGerald’s „Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám“ and Related Materials. The John Roger Paas Collection. Edited by John Roger Paas. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz Verlag, 2023. 1184 pages, 3 parts. Part 1+2: Text, XXII, 872 pages; Part 3: Plates, 312 pages. ISBN 9783447120906

Contents
Foreword IX
Introduction XIII
Explanatory Notes XVII
Abbreviations & Symbols XIX
PART I: Versions of the Rubáiyát
I FitzGerald’s Versions (nos. 1-4348) 3
II Manuscripts and Illuminated Leaves (nos. 4349-4367) 562
III The Rubáiyát in Anthologies (nos. 4368-4460) 565
IV Recordings of the Rubáiyát (nos. 4461-4544) 570
V English Translations other than by FitzGerald (nos. 4545-4708) 578
VI Multilingual Editions (nos. 4709-4796) 605
VII Translations in Languages other than English (nos. 4797-4918) 626
PART II: References to the Rubáiyát
I Novels and Biographical Narratives about Omar and/or the Rubáiyát (nos. 4219-4936) 649
II Books and Articles about the Rubáiyát (nos. 4937-5036) 652
III Works and Verses about FitzGerald and/or Omar Khayyám (nos. 5037-5123) 661
IV Bibliographies of the Rubáiyát and Works about Artists, Editors, etc. (nos. 5124-5251) 670
V Publishers’ Catalogs Prospectuses, and Advertisements (nos. 5252-5307) 679
VI The Word “Rubáiyát” in Titles (nos. 5308-5366) 684
VII Titles Inspired by Verses in the Rubáiyát (nos. 5367-5395) 688
VIII Works with References to the Rubáiyát or Omar Khayyám (nos. 5396-5415) 691
IX Quatrains in the Rubáiyát quoted (nos. 5416-5452) 693
X Verse Founded on, or in the Meter of, the Rubáiyát (nos. 5453-5581) 696
XI Calendars (nos. 5582-5633) 710
PART III: The Rubáiyát in Popular Culture
I Stage, Screen, and Radio (nos. 5634-5715) 721
II Musical Scores and Sheet Music (nos. 5716-5782) 734
III Parodies and Spin-offs in Books and Magazines (nos. 5783-5985) 740
IV Omar Khayyám Clubs (nos. 5986-6043) 761
V Advertisements (nos. 6044-6272) 766
VI The Names/Words “Omar” and “Rubáiyát” used non-commercially (nos. 6273-6325) 778
VII Greeting Cards, Postcards, and Stamps (nos. 6326-6383) 782
VIII Artwork (nos. 6384-6546) 787
IX Realia (nos. 6547-6757) 798
X Related Materials (nos. 6758-6826) 811
Part IV: Related FitzGerald Items
Letters and other Works (nos. 6827-6861) 819
Indexes
Artists 825
Editors, Compilers, Commentators, and Contributors 829
Authors of related Works, Bibliographers, and Composers/Songwriters 833
Translators 837
Printers 839
Fine Binders 842
Early Association Copies 843
Concordance (Potter / Paas) 844

Bernard Quaritch and ‘My Omar’ – The struggle for FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát

Bernard Quaritch and ‘My Omar’ – The struggle for FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát. Arthur Freeman.
In: Edward FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Ed. by H. Bloom. Philadelphia, Chelsea House, 2004. p. 169-183.
(From The Book Collector, special issue. 1997)

As a publisher, Bernard Quaritch’s principal claim to memory lies in his association with Edward FitzGerald. Quaritch’s imprint appears on the first four editions of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. His instrumentality in popularising The Rubaiyat was well recognised in its time. The publication history of The Rubaiyat is narrated.

The illustration of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát and its contribution to enduring popularity

The illustration of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát and its contribution to enduring popularity. W.H. Martin, S. Mason.
In: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Popularity and neglect. Ed. by A. Poole et al. London, Anthem Press, 2011. pp. 233-248.

In this paper, the authors aim to shed more light on how it is that Edward FitzGerald’s short poem became one of the most widely illustrated books of all time. They consider the social and economic framework within which publication of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát reached its zenith and the critical role played by technical change in this important period. They examine in more detail the role of certain key actors, notably individual publishers and their illustrators, in the process of Rubáiyát publishing. And, by looking at the longer term evolution of Rubáiyát publishing through the twentieth century, they try to reach a clearer view of the importance of illustration to the enduring popularity of the poem.

‘Under Omar’s subtle spell’: American Reprint Publishers and the Omar Craze

‘Under Omar’s subtle spell’: American Reprint Publishers and the Omar Craze. J.R. Paas.
In: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Popularity and neglect. Ed. by A. Poole et al. London, Anthem Press, 2011. pp. 127-146.

By 1900 a cult of sorts with Omar and FitzGerald as the focus existed on both sides of the Atlantic, but what has yet to be clarified is the seminal role that American reprint publishers played as they first responded to the public’s interest in the Rubáiyát and then contributed to the spread of the cult. These enterprising publishers offered the public a range of inexpensive reprint editions of FitzGerald’s poem and in the process developed clever marketing strategies that continue to this day. The impact which they had on the cultural acceptance of the Rubáiyát cannot be overestimated, and the purpose of this essay is to shed light on how this happened.

Bernard Quaritch as an antiquarian bookseller

Bernard Quaritch as an antiquarian bookseller. E. Glasgow.
Library review 47 (1998) nr. 1, p. 38-41.

Summary

This is a brief study of the life and work of the celebrated antiquarian bookseller Bernard Quaritch (1819‐1899). Born in Germany and having served his apprenticeship as a bookseller there, he came to London in 1842 with a letter of introduction to John Murray. After a short period in Paris he finally settled in London in 1845, setting up his own business there in 1845. This flourished and in his Victorian heyday Quaritch had an international fame, priding himself on being bookseller to many “eminent Victorians”. In 1859 he was also first to venture to publish Edward Fitzgerald’s somewhat daring “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”. Quaritch had a firm and lasting influence on books and literature of his time. Apart from his enormous influence on private libraries he helped decisively to build up the collections of the British Museum and of the H.C. Folger Library in the USA. He illustrates how the book trade in Victorian England made its own forceful contributions to the advancement of literature, learning and libraries of all sorts.

A wanderer’s note-book : “Young Parker”

A wanderer’s note-book : “Young Parker”. E.V. Lucas
In: The Sunday Times, January 16, 1938.

E.V. Lucas wonders why none of the employees at Parker’s recognized the qualities of the verses that Fitzgerald sent them to be published in Fraser’s Magazine

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. An updated bibliography

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. An updated bibliography. Jos Coumans. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2010. 250 p. ISBN: 978-908-72-8096-3

Summary

Since the collected poems of eleventh- and twelfth-century Persian philosopher Omar Khayyám were first translated into English in 1859 by Edward Fitzgerald, the Rubáiyát has become one of the most popular books of verse in the world. In addition to English, it has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Russian, Urdu, and many other languages. It has been published in numerous editions: precious volumes with bejeweled bindings, artist’s books, scholarly and critical editions, forgeries and fake editions, making it a perfect object for both book collectors and lovers of poetry. This comprehensive volume is the first bibliography of Khayyám’s classic work since the first Rubáiyát bibliography by A.G. Potter, which was published in 1929.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Appendix I: Manuscripts
Appendix II: Bibliographic references
Appendix III: Statistics
Appendix IV: A word on Potter’s bibliography
Bibliography of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám
1. FitzGerald’s versions
2. Other translations
3. Multilingual editions
4. Miniature books
5. Miscellanea
6. Study & criticism
7. Interpretations
Indices