This book is a first edition presentation copy titled "The Quatrains Of Omar Khayyam of Nishapur, Translated from the Persian Into English Verse, Including Quatrains Now For the First Time So Rendered", written and signed by Eben Francis Thompson, with an introduction by Nathan Haskell Dole and privately printed in MCMVI [1906] at the Commonwealth Press in Worcester, Mass. The book has a paper label on the spine, ribbed gray cloth with Arabic lettering in gilt on the front cover, blank endpapers with a typed note on the front paste-down which reads "766 Omar Khayyam (The Quatrains), translated from the Persian into English verse, including quatrains now for the first time so rendered by Eben Francis Thompson, introduction by N. H. Dole, portrait and facsimiles, 8vo. bds., cloth back, Japan paper, only 85 copies printed, £1.10s. Privately printed, Boston, Mass., 1906", and the inscription on the front flyleaf which reads "To Mr and Mrs James D Henderson and Robert with best wishes of The Translator Worcester, Massachusetts 12 August 1928 ", which makes this a presentation copy, and the book is written and signed by the author. There's a sepia frontis portrait of the author, with a facsimile signature at the bottom, then a tissue guard and the title page, the date of 1906 on the title page and copyright page match, so this is a first edition, then a four-page Introduction, an eight-page Preface, 290 pages of text, with footnotes, and a total of 878 quatrains throughout the book. We cannot find a limitation page in the book which says the book was printed on Japan paper, nor was it limited to 85 copies, but that's what the typed note on the front paste-down says. Eben Francis Thompson (1859 - 1939) was one of the most interesting literary figures that Worcester has produced. He attended the local public schools, took a short course at Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1884. From that time until a few years before his death he practiced in Worcester, specializing in corporate law, and he was more widely recognized for his literary pursuits than anything else. For years he collected the varying editions of the Persian poet, Omar Khayyam, including the immortal translation by Fitzgerald. Realizing the magnificence of Fitzgerald's English verse, he wondered if he could write a poetical translation of the Persian text, but one which would follow the original more closely. Taking the advice of his friend, Nathan Haskell Dole, he began to learn Persian. By 1906 he had finished his monumental task, bringing out a volume of 290 pages with his own translation of 878 quatrains of Omar, an achievement remarkable both for his poetic ability and his diligence. He followed this in 1907 with a work reproducing Fitzgerald's text, the Persian original with a transliteration, and his own versified translation. Finally, in 1910, he published a little volume of verse, "The Rose Garden of Omar Khayyam, Founded on the Persian". This trilogy of Omar books brought him into close touch with many admirers of Persian literature. In 1900 he founded the Omar Khayyam Club of America, where he was secretary for twenty years, and later, president. See The American Antiquarian Society, April 1940. (Eben died in 1939, and this was considered his epitaph.) The book is 8vo. and measures 9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. wide, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, light bumps on the heel and crown, light spots on the paper label, a small stain near the top edge of the front cover, shadows on the presentation copy page, light offset on the title page from the illustrated frontis, and shadows on the rear endpapers, and a desirable book for collectors of Omar Khayyam. #88 #1683