Antique Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Edmund Dulac 12 Tipped-In Colour Plates c. 1910s

This is an early twentieth-century edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, rendered into English verse by Edward FitzGerald and beautifully illustrated by Edmund Dulac, one of the foremost artists of the Golden Age of Illustration.

Published in London by Hodder & Stoughton, this handsome undated edition is believed to date to approximately the 1910s. It contains the complete text of 110 quatrains, representing FitzGerald's second version of the Rubaiyat, together with 12 tipped-in colour illustrations by Edmund Dulac, each with its original captioned tissue guard. The earlier 1909 first Dulac edition contained 20 plates, confirming that this is a later, reduced-plate issue. 

The book is bound in deep blue cloth with an elaborate gilt design to the front cover featuring a peacock beneath stylized lettering, with further gilt lettering and decoration to the spine. The beautiful decorative endpapers are printed in blue with an elaborate design of peacocks, flowers and female figures, while the title page is embellished with Dulac's ornate elephant and peacock decoration.

The 12 tipped-in colour plates showcase Dulac's imagination and mastery of colour, ranging from richly detailed scenes of Persian court life and romantic figures to mysterious moonlit landscapes and dreamlike nocturnal visions. The illustrations remain particularly attractive, with rich, atmospheric colour.

The book is unpaginated, with all 110 quatrains present, together with all 12 tipped-in colour illustrations and their tissue guards.

Measurements:

Height: 10 inches
Width: 7 3/4 inches

The interior is clean and well preserved for its age except for some smudges to the title page. The frontispiece leaf, representing the 12th quatrain, has become detached from the binding, and the tipped-in colour illustration itself has also become detached from its mounting page. Both the leaf and illustration are present and appear to have separated cleanly; in my opinion, this should be a relatively straightforward repair for a professional bookbinder or conservator.

Aside from the detached frontispiece and the title page, the interior is very clean, and the remaining plates and tissue guards are present. The blue cloth exterior shows some slight soiling, rubbing and scattered marks consistent with age and handling, while the elaborate gilt decoration remains bright and attractive.

The book was originally issued with a dust jacket, which is no longer present. Surviving examples of this edition are frequently found without their original jackets.

A particularly attractive and complete example of this beautiful Hodder & Stoughton edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, combining Edward FitzGerald's celebrated English verse with the extraordinary artistry of Edmund Dulac. Despite the detached frontispiece, the exceptionally clean interior, complete suite of 12 tipped-in colour plates with their tissue guards, and handsome gilt-decorated binding make this a highly appealing copy for collectors of illustrated books, Edmund Dulac, Persian literature and Golden Age illustration.

Please examine the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.

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