Not so surprised...

There are, of course, some little gems out there that very few people have read. Of interest to this group is certainly Amin Maalouf's Samarkand, which is about the writing, and subsequent protection, of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyaat. A great read, and one worth checking out.

Thank you soylentgreen23! As a collector of Omar Khayyam's masterpiece, I really appreciate this lead, which I will make sure to follow.
:-))

#1 Thanks for the recommendation! The Rubaiyat was one of the first books my husband gave me, way back when we were in high school. Naturally, it's one of my most treasured books, and over the years at least a couple more editions of the Rubaiyat have found their way to my shelves (perhaps some day, I'll understand better how that happens. . . . ). Anyhow, I'll happily look for Samarkand.

when we were in high school

That's so typical of high school romance. It often leads to surreptitious breeding.

#4, ah yes,

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness . . . .

(or, according to SJ Perelman, "yacketing in the Wilderness. . . . ")