The Curse of the "Great Omar"

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu Around 1909, bookbinder Francis Sangorski decided to produce the greatest binding of all time: a jeweled edition of "The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám" with illustrations by Elihu Vedder. The magnificent book was created and contained almost 1,200 jewels, but the book and its binder seemed doomed from the beginning. Hear the curators of "The Persian Sensation: 'The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám' in the West" tell the tragic story of what happened to the greatest binding ever created.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Harry
• Ransom
• Center
• The
• Rubaiyat
• of
• Omar
• Khayyam
• Titanic
• Sink
• Sinking
• Sunk
• Curse
• Francis
• Sangorski
• Elihu
• Vedder
• Book
• Binding
• Jewels
• University
• Texas
• at
• Austin

[oldmanofthelake]

Sangorski & Sutcliffe survive as part of Shepherds Bookbinders, still binding today in London. There will be an illustration talk held later this week (Thursday 12th January 2012, 7pm) at the V&A Reading Rooms about The Great Omar titled 'Lost on the Titanic'. Search Facebook for the event.