- 547
[Fitzgerald, Edward.]
Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- [Fitzgerald, Edward.]
- Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the Astronomer Poet of Persia. Bernard Quaritch, 1859
- paper
8vo, first edition, one of 250 copies, original printed wrappers, minute offsetting to endpapers and covers, a few tiny marks otherwise a fine copy, preserved in matching chemise and folding box
A superb copy, rare in the wrappers, of the first edition of Fitzgerald's classic work, now seen as much as an original English poem as a translation of the quatrains attributed to the eleventh-century Persian poet 'Umar Khayyam'.
"Early in 1858 FitzGerald sent thirty-five of the ‘less wicked’ verses he had translated from Omar to Fraser's Magazine...Fraser's would not publish them, however, so in 1859, after adding forty more verses, FitzGerald issued the collection of seventy-five as a book published anonymously at his own expense. This first edition of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám did not sell well at first, but in 1861 Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Swinburne discovered it and helped to make it better known. This led to the publication of a second edition (1868), which especially won favour in the United States, where it was reviewed in glowing terms by Charles Eliot Norton. Soon there was, as FitzGerald put it, ‘a little Craze’ over the Rubáiyát in America..." (Sheldon Goldfarb, Oxford DNB)
A superb copy, rare in the wrappers, of the first edition of Fitzgerald's classic work, now seen as much as an original English poem as a translation of the quatrains attributed to the eleventh-century Persian poet 'Umar Khayyam'.
"Early in 1858 FitzGerald sent thirty-five of the ‘less wicked’ verses he had translated from Omar to Fraser's Magazine...Fraser's would not publish them, however, so in 1859, after adding forty more verses, FitzGerald issued the collection of seventy-five as a book published anonymously at his own expense. This first edition of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám did not sell well at first, but in 1861 Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Swinburne discovered it and helped to make it better known. This led to the publication of a second edition (1868), which especially won favour in the United States, where it was reviewed in glowing terms by Charles Eliot Norton. Soon there was, as FitzGerald put it, ‘a little Craze’ over the Rubáiyát in America..." (Sheldon Goldfarb, Oxford DNB)
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."