RUBÁIYÁT OF OMAR KHAYYÁM (Limited edition, war time printing, Cairo)

Rendered into English verse by Edward Fitzgerald

Unpagined [52 pages] 7 tipped in colour plates with holograph captions signed by Amslie Beckett, each page of text within a red frame and green patterned border to the outer margin, brown cloth boards with the paper title label laid down on the front cover, the top corner of the back cover is slightly damaged,  preserved in a later black full leather cover without any labelling, a very good copy.

There is a 6 page biographical sketch of Omar Khayyam at the back of the book.

This is an edition of 25 copies of which this is no 18.

Loosely inserted is a handwritten note signed by Amslie Beckett which describes the production of this volume as follows:

This Rubaiyat was printed in the camp of the Mobile Maps Printing and Printing Co of the UDF (Union Defence Force) at Maadi Egypt in 1943 as a means to overcome boredom.

I designed the book and did the illustrations, which were made from lino taken off the Officers Mess bar counter. The engraving tool was made from one of the stays of a broken umbrella obtained at a nearby convent. Some of the illustrations are in seven or eight colours.

The research into the Life of Omar Khayyam was done by A.L.Mosses who also set the type on a linotype machine. The printing was done by John McKune on a hand platten press on Whatmans watercolour paper.

Naturally the production of this edition was done in our spare time. Amslie Beckett

The North African Campaign, June 1941 – November 1942 After arriving at Maadi, south of Cairo, the SA Survey Company commenced map production with Royal Engineer assistance and were assigned responsibilities all over the Middle East and North Africa, on a survey connection of Palestine, Egypt and Transjordan major triangulations.

Moving in a poorly mapped country, such as the Western Desert, where landmarks were rare, most units had great difficulty keeping track of their own locations at any given moment. Though units in the forward areas may hardly have been aware of it, since their maps arrived as usual, back at Maadi.On 2 April 1942 the SA Survey Company was changed to a Type B Survey Company (non operational). The commanding officer, Lt Col W.F. Short, 13 officers and 103 other ranks were struck off strength and posted to 45 Survey Company. (This probably explains why and how they had the time to produce the limited edition of The Rubaiyat!) http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/viewFile/126/15