Favorite copy of the Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam

I just realized this is the most common book in my library. I just picked up my 11th edition. I wasn't really looking for another copy but while perusing the Net for limp vellum bindings from the Medici Society I came upon this title. The limp vellum bound Riccardi Press books for the Medici Society are usually limited to 500 - 1000 copies on Ricardi paper and 12 copies (10 for sale) printed on vellum. Book sellers often get confused by the limp vellum binding and list their copy as one of the 12 vellum copies. I've made such purchases before and don't mind because I expect the Ricardi paper copy (which is a very nice paper). This copy of the Rubaiyat was listed as a vellum copy but priced on the lower end of a paper copy, so I bought it. Low and and behold, it is copy one of the twelve vellum copies. What an amazing feel. This is actually the first book in my library completely printed on vellum.

That said, my favorite copy is a toss-up between the 2009 FS LE illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat or the Hodder and Stoughton edition illustrated by Edmund Dulac (I've only got the 1909 first trade edition not the vellum bound LE).

>1 kdweber:
Another charming edition is this one from 1909 published by Adam and Charles Black here.

The illustrations are delightful.

Of the nine editions I have, my favorite remains the Heritage Club reprint of 1974. It has the Szyk illustrations. The Rubaiyat with illustrations by Willy Pogany has been reprinted many times, and the one I have is not all that impressive outside of the illustrations.

If it had a better binding and paper, I would nominate the 1972 edition published by Shumposha Photo Printing Ltd. of Japan with wonderful illustrations by Hossein Behzad Miniatur. It is a bi-lingual edition edited by Brig. Gen. Hossein-Ali Nouri Esfandiary. It is offset on clay-filled paper.