The Collins Rubaiyat: A Crucial Revelation
In a recent post, we explored a long-standing question about the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Through detailed research, it was proven beyond doubt that the narrative surrounding the Whitcombe & Tombs (W&T) edition was incorrect. The book linked to the Somerton Man case was, in fact, a Collins publication—a very specific version, as I was able to confirm and demonstrate through images, page dimensions, and direct comparison with the torn slip:
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-somerton-man-rubaiyat-its-not-what.html
But here’s something that almost slipped under the radar—this Collins edition contained both Fitzgerald’s First and Second Editions within its covers. That’s significant. Even more so when you consider an important detail from the 1959 police report: the book that was handed in had a missing back leaf. This Collins version had two blank back pages or leaves following the end of the second edition, which concluded with the single word "TAMAM." In contrast, the W&T edition had no back leaf at all—only a dust cover.
That discrepancy raises and answers serious questions. Given that there were two blank pages and one was missing, that would suggest that the missing leaf was the one used to write the code and possibly other markings but whoever wrote it forgot one of the rules regarding writing on paper and the indentations that can be left on the page on which it was resting. As a matter of interest the two back leaves were of quite thin paper, similar to the paper in the Tamam Shud torn slip.
Now, here’s where things get really interesting. The Fitzgerald Second Edition had 110 quatrains, while the First had only 75—and certain quatrains within those first 75 were not identical across editions. Here’s a comparison of Verse 7 in each:
Verse 7 – First Edition:
"Come, fill the cup, and in the fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly—and Lo, the bird is on the wing."
Verse 7 – Second Edition:
"Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter—and (Lo) Bird is on the Wing."
Subtle, but not identical.
So why Verse 7? Well, I ran an analysis, comparing the letters of the Somerton Man code page against all 110 quatrains in the Fitzgerald Second Edition. I figured this would provide a broader base for comparison. The result? A mono-alphabetic cipher was detected. Now, this could be pure coincidence—after all, it’s just one verse out of 75, or 110 if you prefer—but it certainly raised the eyebrows.
And then there’s Verse 70, (followers of this page will recall that Verse 70 was the verse written by the nurse Jestyn into the copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam that she presented to Alf Boxall)—which in the First Edition (and only the First) contains the acrostic name DANETTA. Meanwhile, Verse 70 in the Second Edition is completely different/ Here's a link to Tibor Kaldor's last letter with the acrostic word DANETTA contained in the first paragraph :
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2016/10/somerton-man-tibor-kaldor-acrostic-code.html
Now, I should say—I’m not a cryptographer, and I don’t pretend to be one. I’m still learning, and I expect to spend a lot more time on this. But here’s something I can’t ignore—back in 2012, Professor Derek Abbott and his team at Adelaide University devoted their efforts to searching for a connection between the Somerton Man code page and the verses of the W&T version which contained only Fitzgerald's 1st edition, of the Rubaiyat.
What they didn’t realize—because no one had confirmed it at the time—was that the actual book found was a Collins edition, containing both Fitzgerald’s First and Second Editions.
That’s a pretty critical piece of the puzzle to have missed. Doubly so when you take into account that the Somerton Man Code page is an exact fit to the rear leaf of the Collins Rubaiyat but not a fit for the W&T version.
More to come.