rare in dust-jacket

A charming miniature format edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam in English translation, by Edward Fitzgerald, and published by the renowned Glaswegian publishers David Bryce & Sons.

David Bryce (1845-1923) was one of the world's most prolific and successful publishers of miniature books. He was a bookseller at the tender age of 17 and took over the family publishing house after the passing of his father in 1870. Bryce printed a series of miniature books in English, including this Rubaiyat, but is best known for his edition of the Qur'an printed in Arabic. A clear nod to the Indian world of lithography is made by Bryce in the present publication with the front cover and dust-jacket appearing as a reproduction of an Indian lithographed edition of the Rubaiyat with the text and decorations in Farsi.

Rare with only two other copies located worldwide: these in NLS and Iowa University.

Single volume, miniature book printed throughout in English, 53 x 35 mm; title and framed within decorative border, many head-pieces and decorative ornaments to margins reminiscent of Islamic manuscript illumination, clean and crisp internal condition, housed in original gilt stamped red morocco covers, and rare remains of printed dust-jacket, both depicting the titlepage replicated from an Indian lithographed edition of the Rubaiyat in Farsi, gilt edges, a very handsome example.

Bondy, 106. Spielmann, 395. Welsh, 5353. Garbett, 18, 40. News-Letters of the LXIVMOS, No. 16, p. 5. OCLC, 5427892.