8vo, xvi, 333 pp. maps, b/w illustrations, cloth in d/w, previous owner’s name inscribed verso lower cover, Hurst & Co. London, 2007.

Synopsis

From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis and current president Mahmud Ahmadinejad – a controversial figure within as well as outside the country – Michael Axworthy traces a vivid, integrated account of Iran’s past. He explains clearly and carefully both the complex succession of dynasties that ruled ancient Iran and the surprising ethnic diversity of the modern country, held together by a common culture.