{"product_id":"omar-draft","title":"RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM 1919 BAYNTUN-RIVIERE FINE BINDING, WILLY POGANY ILLUSTRATIONS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e[KHAYYAM, OMAR]. \u003cstrong\u003eRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Presented by Willy Pogany. \u003c\/strong\u003eLondon: George Harrap, n.d., [1919].\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSECOND EDITION ILLUSTRATED BY POGANY. Leather-bound; hardcover; contained in a beige buckram solander box; quarto (22 x 15 x 2 cm); unpaginated [112 pp.]. English text, translated by Edward Fitzgerald, with 16 mounted colour plates by Willy Pogany, with decorative embellishments in two-tone blue throughout. Beautifully bound in full tan calf by Bayntun-Riviere, with an elaborate cuir ciselé floral design cut in relief, mounted on the upper cover, framed within a series of dyed-green or gilt-stamped rules, spine with onlay of dark green calf and gilt-spine title, calf turn-ins with gilt rules and floral corner-pieces, all edges gilt, hand-marbled endpapers, half-title. Condition: NEAR FINE. Binding tight and secure. Minor wear dotted along both the spine and upper edge of rear cover. Interior fresh and clean, without previous ownership markings. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNotes: A finely bound copy of the second edition illustrated by Pogány, \"Dulac's most successful European contemporary during the highest peak of the Golden Age of book illustration\" (Dalby, p. 87). Fitzgerald's translation of the Rubáiyát, published in 1859, slowly gained recognition as a masterpiece of English literature. By the early 1900s, many of Fitzgerald's phrases had entered the common stock of English quotations and allusions. The binding is a treat to behold, which holds true for the whole volume. The artisans at Bayntun-Riviere created a lovely pictorial floral calf binding with exquisite details. Although the book shows minor wear, it is relatively inconspicuous. The binding design seems to be rooted in the creations of Cedric Chivers (c. 1853-1929), from an earlier period, employing an ancient cuir ciselé [cut leather] technique, where the cover design is made by dampening the leather (instead of being tooled or blocked), outlined with a tool, then dampened, followed by cutting the leather with a sharp knife and then staining. The relief is made by depressing the background. The technique was widely practiced in the 15th century, and it was brought back by various binders, including the French binder Marius Michel (ca. 1866). Potter 100. Richard Dalby, The Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration, 1991.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFR Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57012905279863,"sku":null,"price":1750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0456\/6872\/8995\/files\/SAM_0545_72ed25c0-6d8a-40a9-9885-6f592e340a96.jpg?v=1776285579","url":"https:\/\/rarebooksboutique.com\/products\/omar-draft","provider":"MFR Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}