The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: Illustrated Collector's Edition Second Edition

The book is so well produced, after all its the Bodleian library publication. The Renee Bull color illustrations complement the verses very well, The paper is thick and glossy, not cheap everyday value. It's a pleasure to turn the pages.As far as the Rubaiyat, there are no comparable verses in the world. These are wonderful, beyond description; modern critics have complained that Fitzgerald's translation does not do justice to the original. I cannot judge that, but everyone of the quatrains that are here express a love of life and a questioning of the Divinity. It is more of a doubt.Thou who Man of Baser Earth did makeEven with Paradise devise the SnakeFor all the sins the face of wretched Man is black with,Man's forgiveness Give and Take.Immortal lines, whether Khayyam wrote them or Fitzgerald embellished them, it does not matter.I just wish some publisher would incorporate all 5 versions under one cover. Everyone seems to publish the First or in some cases the Second, which is the most balanced one.A must for lovers of literature, even if you have other editions. At a much much higher price the Folio edition, with introduction by A.S. Byatt and wonderfully illustrated would probably supercede this.

perfect iPhone formatting for lines of poetry - by centering them! And this is one of the most beautiful poems in world history. Even has Dulac illustrations! (If this is the Kindle edition I am thinking of. I bought several before this. You get the First and 5th, which are the most influential, though I always loved the Fourth too.)

Found it gave me some peace during high stress times

I bought as a gift for a young emerging poet. It was to be included with a diverse collection of poets. The layout has no white space - the breathing room that these elegant, powerful prose deserve.

I own several different versions of the "Rubaiyat" collected over the years. This volume is easily the most gorgeously illustrated. The cover art hints at the magic inside.

Very beautiful book with beautiful illustrations! There are a few Farsi illustrations as well which adds a beautiful scent to the book!

Woderul illustrations matched with one of the greatest pieces of Classical literature equals a book to treasure in your library!

Bought as a gift Very pleased with this purchase

A very well produced and illustrated version. Unfortunately this is the fifth translation of Fitzgerald's masterpiece and he has had more time to think about it and it lacks the spontaneity and naivety of the first. It appears more laboured from Stanza 1 to the end. Go for the earlier version, if you can but I can't find a hard back edition. It is an excellent philosophy " Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die, and that is it " my friend

Not quite cheaply produced, but not very nice. The pictures are beautiful of course, but this edition looks like it was done in a short run, with an upmarket ink jet. I gave it as a present, and felt rather let down - it's not good enough for that, and not good enough for the price.Of course the poetry is amazing, but you can read that for free, just download it.

If I was listing books to read before you die, this would be very high on my list. This is a book which can be read from cover to cover, or dipped into for a few minutes at any time. Some great quotes too if you are looking for something inspirational.

A bit of a con.... this isn’t a collector’s item by a very long way. It’s been banged out on a digital printer and the illustrations suffer accordingly. The cover’s the best bit. None of that detracts from the interest of the text... but neither does it enhance it.

Beautiful book, the recipient loves it.