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Secondary sourceBook1859

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (First Edition)

Edward FitzGerald · 1859

The rare 1859 first English edition of FitzGerald's translation of Khayyám's quatrains, initially ignored but later enormously influential.

This first edition of FitzGerald's translation created the lasting Western image of Khayyám.

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About this source

What it is

This is the first edition (1859) of Edward FitzGerald's English translation of the Persian quatrains attributed to Omar Khayyám, published anonymously.

Why it matters

At first the book sold poorly and was largely ignored. It was later rediscovered and became wildly popular, inspiring Omar Khayyám clubs and a devoted following by the end of the 19th century. This edition shaped how English-speaking readers imagined Khayyám: as a philosophical, pleasure-loving sage facing the shortness of life. It says as much about Victorian England's tastes as about Khayyám himself.

Look closer

  • Why might a book be ignored at first and then become a huge success decades later?
  • What does the fact that FitzGerald published anonymously suggest about his confidence in the work?
  • How might the real historical Khayyám differ from the image created by this translation?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Omar Khayyam on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Front cover of a green cloth book titled Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the Astronomer-Poet of Persia, with gold lettering, a gold floral emblem, black decorative arch border, and publisher Houghton, Osgood & Co. at the bottom.Book

Secondary source

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

Edward FitzGerald · 1878

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Primary source

Khayyam Geometry Manuscript

Omar Khayyám

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Secondary source

Chahar Maqala

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Wide view of the central courtyard of the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan under a blue sky with clouds. Tall iwans with ornate tiled and muqarnas vaulting frame the square, with a blue-tiled fountain pool in the foreground and a pair of minarets rising behind the central portal.Artifact

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841 (rebuilt 1086-1089 under Khayyám's patrons)

Manuscript page in Persian nastaliq script with an ornate gold-and-blue illuminated Bismillah heading at top, red-ruled borders, a marginal note in gold, and a round seal stamp in the margin on the right. Adjacent page edge visible at left.Book

Secondary source

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