"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam", translated by Edward Fitzgerald, with 8 tipped in color illustrations including frontispiece by Willy Pogany, published by Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, printed in Edinburgh by the Riverside Press, UK, undated, illustrated by the first version of Pogany illustrations which first appeared in 1909. [note: in 1930, Willy Pogany created completely different illustrations]

Hard boards with gold decorations, 4" x 5.1/2"; front endpaper is missing, elaborate title page with decorations in elaborate style of Persian miniatures, and titling in pseudo-Arabic script. Half-title in similar script enclosed in decorative medallion;[frontis has a small bent corner, illustration at page 80 is slightly soiled [see pictures], 94 pages on nice cream-color paper, each page is decorated with arabesques, a little wear, very good condition.

William Andrew Pogany, aka Willy Pogany (1882-1955) was a prolific Hungarian illustrator of children's and other books. His contemporaries include C. Coles Phillips, Joseph Clement Coll, Edmund Dulac, Harvey Dunn, Walter Everett, Harry Rountree, Sarah Stilwell Weber, and N.C. Wyeth. He is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. A large portion of Pogany's work is described as Art Nouveau. Pogany's artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated and often feature motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies. He paid great attention to botanical details. He used dreamy and warm pastel scenes with watercolors, oil paintings, and especially pen and ink. Painstakingly detailed and confident, Pogany's pen and ink pieces portray the true extent of his talent. [wiki]

Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia", was famous during his lifetime not as a poet but as an astronomer and mathematician. The earliest reference to his having written poetry is found in his biography by al-Isfahani, written 43 years after his death.

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) -------- $16.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) --- $29.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ---- $40.50