THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM; Rendered into English Verse by EDWARD FITZGERALD / Illustrated with thirty-eight pictures from photographs by MABEL EARDLEY-WILMOT
Boston: Dana Estes & Co. / Estes Press, N.D. [1910-1915]. Mabel Eadley-Wilmot. First American Edition? Decorated & gilt-stamped cloth. 4to (10 1/4" H x 8" W), green decorative cloth with gilt spine and elaborate gilt embellishments surrounding the title on the cover, illustrated with 38 B&W photographs tipped in that were taken in the East by Mabel Eadley-Wilmot, plus other decorative initials and embellishments by Mr. W. G. Johnson, Introduction, stiff & thick variably-sized paper with deckle-edges, xx + [122] pages. Fine / None. Item #1359
A RARE and FINE PHOTOGRAVURE-illustrated limited edition of The Rubaiyat with the classic translation by Edward Fitzgerald, plus Superior printing, fine paper, and overall quality.
Elaborate editions of The Rubaiyat with magnificent bindings and illustrations began to appear around the 1880s. The use of photographs to illustrate books came somewhat later during the early 1900's.
Lady Mabel Eadley-Wilmot was born in Britain during the 19th century. She probably lived for some time with her husband in India.
He was Sir Sainthill Eardley-Wilmot, who was invested as a Knight Commander, Order of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.). He served 47 years in the Indian Forest Service until 1920. During that time, he held the title of Inspector-General of Forests, India, between 1903 and 1908. Sir Eardley-Wilmot died in 1929 at the age of 77.
During her years as a Colonial stationed with her husband in India (or upon returning to England), Lady Mabel Eadley-Wilmot published at least four decorative Edwardian books illustrated with photographs (photogravures) that she had taken:
1) FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA. By SAINTHILL EARDLEY-WILMOT, CLE., Lately Inspector-General of Forests to the Indian Government ; Commissioner UNDER the Development and Road Improvement Funds Act.
With Illustrations from Photographs by MABEL EARDLEY-WILMOT. Demy 8w. 12s. 6d. net. [publication c.1909];
2) Arnold, Sir Edwin. The Light of Asia. London: Kagan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., c.1905. [12 photogravures by Lady Eardley-Wilmot"; hardback, 169 pages, apparently limited to 95 copies];
3) Lawrence Hope. Songs From the Garden of Kama. New York: John Lane Company, 1909. December 1908, 116 pages, photographs by Mabel Eardley-Wilmot [apparently limited to 50 and/or 95 copies]; and
4) The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1912. [First edition; "illustrated with thirty-eight {tipped-in} pictures, from photographs by Mabel Eardley-Wilmot"; hardback, 140 pages [apparently limited to 175 copies].
The above taken via the Internet as extracts from listings Women In Photography International:
http://womeninphotography.org/bookarchive/booksd-j.html-
M'lady (d.1958) assumed the marital name of Eadley-Wilmot in 1891 and pioneered in the use of photos and photogravures to illustrate decorative volumes of poetry.
The decoration on this Estes Press' volume is suggestive of the transition via William Morris, Arts and Crafts, to ArtNouveau. Omar Khayyam's The Rubaiyat was one of the first American books in this genre.
Compare this RARE and FINE edition with another Illustrated by Adelaide Hanscom in 1905, which had ornamental page-borders and 28 photogravures on tissue. Hanscom pioneered using photographs to illustrate books.
Because the London edition of Mabel Eadley-Wilmot's photographically-illustrated edition of The Rubaiyat was published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., in 1912; we assume that this is the first American edition published by a Boston vanity press in what looks like a very limited edition (no copies appearing in a partial scan of various databases).
Very slight toning to the extreme edges of some pages, else FINE!
Price: $195.00