About the Author

Omar Khayyam is famous as a poet, astronomer and mathematician - he was one of the greatest mathematicians of the Middle Ages. He was born near Nishapur in north-east Persia and is thought to have died in approximately 1122.

John Heath-Stubbs published several volumes of poetry, including Collected Poems 1988. He also translated poetry, including Leopardi. He edited selections of Swift, Shelley, TEnnyson and Pope, as well as various anthologies. He received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1973 and the OBE in 1989 for services to literature.