Oldest Book in My Collection

The moon at 0600 hrs today at Laman Kambatik, Bintulu gave me the inspiration to unearth some more older books I have in my collection. It's going to be day break and the moon will soon disappear into the western horizon. Lo! Behold, let the books see the light of day.

61 Years Old

Edited by G.F. Maine, the above is a collection of quatrains by the famous Persian poet-philosopher, Omar Khayyam. The actual translation into English of the Rubaiyat ( collection of quatrains) of Omar Khayyam was done by Edward Fitzgerald in many editions, after intrepreting and reinterpreting them over his lifetime. This book contains Edward's First, Second and Fifth Editions of the Rubaiyat.

Published by Collins, London, in 1947 the book has 221 pages.

Below I quote the first and second quatrain in the Rubaiyat:

1

WAKE! For the Sun, who scatter'd into flight

The Stars before him from the Field of Night,

Drives Night along with them from Heav'n, and strikes

The Sultan's Turret with the Shaft of Light.

2

Before the phantom of False morning died,

Methought a Voice within the Tavern cried,

"When all the Temple is prepared within,

Why nods the drowsy Worshipper outside?"

And the first runner-up goes to:

60 Years Old

Published by the Shell Petroleum Company Ltd, London in 1948, the above is the Third Edition.

The book is a compilation by members of the Staff of the Royal Dutch Shell Group.

It is an excellent backgrounder to the general understandingof the World Petroleum Industry, its Production( Exploration/Production of Crude Oil and Natural Gas), Manufacture, Transport and Distribution and Products and Their Applications. The book has 658 pages.