The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam by Edward Fitzgerald do it; the result was the Jalali era (so called from Jalal-ud-din, one of the king's names)--'a computation of time, ' says Gibbon, 'which surpasses the Julian, and approaches the accuracy of the Gregorian style.' He is also the author of some astronomical tables, entitled 'Ziji-Malikshahi, ' and the French have lately republished and translated an Arabic Treatise of his on Algebra. "His Takhallus or poetical name (Khayyam) signifies a Tent-maker, and he is said to have at one time exercised that trade, perhaps before Nizam-ul-Mulk's generosity raised him to independence. Many Persian poets similarly derive their names from their occupations; thus we have Attar, 'a druggist, ' Assar, 'an oil presser, ' etc. Omar himself alludes to his name in the following whimsical lines: -- "'Khayyam, who stitched the tents of science, Has fallen in grief's furnace and been suddenly burned; The shears of Fate have cut the tent ropes of his life, And the broker of Hope has sold him for We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

Things are rarely as they first seem, particularly when seen from a different angle, or in a different context. From Morning to Night asks children to look at familiar and simple shapes and notice how they change, one minute a mushroom, the next a cereal bowl, a planet becomes an orange,, a traffic cone, turned on its side, a wind sock. The result is an unusually handsome and clever book that reminds children and parents to look at things carefully and never to judge something (or someone) by its first appearance—wait a moment, look harder, or turn your head and it might be something completely different and unexpected.

A poem about the visit that Santa Claus pays to the children of the world during the night before every Christmas.

A delightful collection of soul-inspiring poems from the world's great religious and spiritual traditions, accompanied by Ivan M. Granger's meditative thoughts and commentary. Rumi, Whitman, Issa, Teresa of Avila, Dickinson, Blake, Lalla, and many others. These are poems of seeking and awakening... and the longing in between. ------------ Praise for The Longing in Between "The Longing in Between is a work of sheer beauty. Many of the selected poems are not widely known, and Ivan M. Granger has done a great service, not only by bringing them to public attention, but by opening their deeper meaning with his own rare poetic and mystic sensibility." ROGER HOUSDEN author of the best-selling Ten Poems to Change Your Life series "Ivan M. Granger's new anthology, The Longing in Between, gives us a unique collection of profoundly moving poetry. It presents some of the choicest fruit from the flowering of mystics across time, across traditions and from around the world. After each of the poems in this anthology Ivan M. Granger shares his reflections and contemplations, inviting the reader to new and deeper views of the Divine Presence. This is a grace-filled collection which the reader will gladly return to over and over again." LAWRENCE EDWARDS, Ph.D. author of Awakening Kundalini: The Path to Radical Freedom and Kali's Bazaar

The poems attributed to Omar Khayyam have a universal and timeless philosophical theme: life is a meaningful journey even if brief and uncertain. They inspire an unconstrained free-thinking mindset and a wise realization that guides thinking persons: it is impossible to see the absolute truth, as the universe has its own reality that remains largely hidden, and that one must think and act accordingly. This book presents a selection of Khayyam's poems in their original Persian language along with their English translations in a faithful and modern version. By relying only on the original Persian version of Khayyam's poems, and using the author's own body of literary and linguistic knowledge, this book presents a modern translation of Omar Khayyam's poems since Edward Fitzgerald's Rubaiyat in 1859.

David Ramsey's reinterpretation of the Edward FitzGerald English-language version of the classic Omar Khayyam poem, The Rubaiyat, began with his displeasure of the oft-quoted verse: "Here with a loaf of Bread Beneath..." The author says: "I thought this sounded more Victorian than Persian. I think Omar meant something more like this: 'With a book of verse beneath the bough...' For my own amusement I then proceeded to deflower other of Fitzgerald's translations of Khayyam's poetry. The challenge was to make suitable alternatives to those famous verses that have made The Rubaiyat one of the best-known works of poetry in the English language. One might say that I plagiarized the author, or his principal translator, or both--but I consider this more as an unholy collaboration between the three of us over the centuries. I hope my two unwitting collaborators would not be displeased with my reinterpretation of their efforts." Ramsey's irreverent verses are amusing, full of philosophical wit, and very relevant indeed to today's free-swinging culture. Great reading! Great fun!

"Long before the Confederacy was crushed militarily, it was defeated economically," writes Charles L. Dufour. He contends that with the fall of the critical city of New Orleans in spring 1862 the South lost the Civil War, although fighting would continueøfor three more years. On the Mississippi River, below New Orleans, in the predawn of April 24, 1862, David Farragut with fourteen gunboats ran past two forts to capture the South's principal seaport. Vividly descriptive, The Night the War Was Lost is also very human in its portrayal of terrified citizens and leaders occasionally rising to heroism. In a swift-moving narrative, Dufour explains the reasons for the seizure of New Orleans and describes its results.