1879 · London
by [Fine Binding - Zaehnsdorf] [Edward Fitzgerald]
London: Bernard Quaritch, 1879. Fourth edition. Near Fine. Full green crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf. Elaborately stamped in gilt on the front and rear covers with a floral border and intricate vine patterns in the central compartments. Orange silk end papers and paste-downs, top edge gilt. With the Zaehnsdorf gilt exhibition stamp on the rear paste-down. Spine faded to brown and slight rubbing to the joints but a Near Fine copy overall. Housed in a marbled paper slipcase.
Fitzgerald attributed the original work to the famed astronomer and mathematician Omar Khayyum, and this collection of quatrains rapidly became a favored text of the Pre-Raphaelites. "Like the Odyssey or the Vita Nuova [it] was once the most widely known and quoted work of Victorian poetry in the world," and its place in Western culture at the time was secured by Fitzgerald's "epigrammatic, sophisticated, often mordant verses [that] display Fitzgerald's adroitness in handling this stanza form" (Warner). Yet with rise of Modernism, the Rubaiyat fell out of style for a time, its lush and romantic orientalism considered out of step with the concerns of those who were living through a devastating World War. But the beautiful surviving copies in exceptional vellum, silk, and leather, alongside recently released critical editions, have helped draw attention back to the Rubaiyat's beauty and its role in inspiring so many monumental pieces of Victorian art and literature.
The Austro-Hungarian-born, Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-1886) trained with binders in Stuttgart and in Vienna, before moving to Germany, Switzerland, France, and eventually settling London. He worked for various shops before opening his own bindery in 1842. In the face of industrializing production Zaehnsdorf embraced craft and eventually gained recognition for his talent. He was known for his precise finish and elegant design. The firm would continue in his son John William’s capable hands; it employed binders like Louis Genth, Roger de Coverly, and Sarah Prideaux. Family run until 1947, it was eventually acquired by Asprey of London in 1983 (Gertz). Near Fine. (Inventory #: 6793)
Fitzgerald attributed the original work to the famed astronomer and mathematician Omar Khayyum, and this collection of quatrains rapidly became a favored text of the Pre-Raphaelites. "Like the Odyssey or the Vita Nuova [it] was once the most widely known and quoted work of Victorian poetry in the world," and its place in Western culture at the time was secured by Fitzgerald's "epigrammatic, sophisticated, often mordant verses [that] display Fitzgerald's adroitness in handling this stanza form" (Warner). Yet with rise of Modernism, the Rubaiyat fell out of style for a time, its lush and romantic orientalism considered out of step with the concerns of those who were living through a devastating World War. But the beautiful surviving copies in exceptional vellum, silk, and leather, alongside recently released critical editions, have helped draw attention back to the Rubaiyat's beauty and its role in inspiring so many monumental pieces of Victorian art and literature.
The Austro-Hungarian-born, Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-1886) trained with binders in Stuttgart and in Vienna, before moving to Germany, Switzerland, France, and eventually settling London. He worked for various shops before opening his own bindery in 1842. In the face of industrializing production Zaehnsdorf embraced craft and eventually gained recognition for his talent. He was known for his precise finish and elegant design. The firm would continue in his son John William’s capable hands; it employed binders like Louis Genth, Roger de Coverly, and Sarah Prideaux. Family run until 1947, it was eventually acquired by Asprey of London in 1983 (Gertz). Near Fine. (Inventory #: 6793)
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