Description
For sale: a Rare and Exceptional first edition, first printing Paperback Edition of Mirror of the Invisible World: Tales from the Khamseh of Nizami by Peter J. Chelkowski. First Edition unstated, 1975 Metropolitan Museum of Art. First Printing with no subsequent printing. 117pp. 25 tipped-in color plates.
The book is in Very Good condition with lightly faded, cloth boards with a few spots and light rubbing to the front illustrated plate. Also with, a lightly faded title ink on a square spine, lightly foxed page blocks, tight binding, mild spine tilt, lightly rolled spine ends, mild edge wear, and rubbed corners. The interior of the book is in Near Fine condition with age spots on the first and last paste downs. No other marks, inscriptions or signs of ownership inside. The end papers and the interior pages are clean and lightly toned, making it an excellent addition to any collection.
No dust jacket, as issued.
Next to Ferdowsi’s Shah-nameh, the Khamseh or “Quintet” of Nizami offered the best opportunity for a wide-ranging series of illustrations to the Iranian miniaturist. These have been rendered in innumerable manuscripts from the late fourteenth century up to the nineteenth century and have resulted in some of the most beloved motifs of Iranian pictorial arts. The scenes of Khosrow discovering Shirin bathing in a pool of water, of Shirin visiting Farhad as he carves his way through the mountain of Bisutun, of the unhappy sculptor carrying his queen and her horse on his shoulders, of Layla and her boy lover in school, of the poet Majnun in the desert surrounded by wild and tame animals, of Bahram Gur in the brilliantly colored pavilions of his seven beautiful princesses, are well known to all admirers of Iranian art in both the East and the West.
Aside from the better-known scenes, there are others which illustrate different episodes, frequently of a minor character. To understand these fully, it is necessary to be familiar with the varied subjects and themes of the poems, especially the major ones. Happily, this is now possible as a result of the investigations of Professor Peter J. Chelkowski, of New York University, who has written an English adaptation of the tales from Nizami’s Khamseh. He has provided, in addition, an introduction and commentaries on each story which not only present the historical background but also give us an insight into the rich imagination of the twelfth-century poet.
Large volume ships promptly in a manila envelope with book wrapped in both craft paper and bubble wrap.
