Humanism has mostly considered the question “What does it mean to be human?” from a Western perspective. Dabashi asks it anew from a non-European perspective, in a groundbreaking study of 1,400 years of Persian literary humanism. He presents the unfolding of this vast tradition as the creative and subversive subconscious of Islamic civilization.

About These Crazy Nights, Moniro Ravanipour writes: "In 1981, less than three years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and in the heat of the Iran-Iraq War, I had become a night nurse in a hospital in Tehran, where every night I witnessed the arrival of the soldiers wounded on battlefronts. It was in the course of those nights that I also witnessed endless arguments and debates among patients with different ideologies and beliefs, including leftists, monarchists, nationalists, and staunch supporters of the new Islamic regime. Late at night, when the hospital ward was quiet, the patients would come and tell me stories about the battlefronts and their lives. The initial chapters of this novel, which was shaping in my mind at the time, were written in Iran and the concluding chapters were completed in the United States."This is a novel about the author's life, first in Iran and later as a refugee and immigrant in the United States. It is an important novel to be made available in English, especially in a country made up of immigrants, and in particular at this time. It tells us, in fact it actually shows us, why so many people around the world, whether from the Middle East, South America, or elsewhere, are inclined to leave their ancestral land, their hearth and home, and try, despite all the odds and obstacles, to take refuge to the land of the free.

Explores the mythology of the ancient Persians, one of historys greatest civilizations.

First comprehensive collection of evidence of the relations between Athens and Persia in fifth century BC.

The impact of Persian life and literature upon Victorian England was tremendous. It found its public demonstration in the visit of the Shah, but the number of men of letters who turned to the Persian classics for inspiration were as numerous as they were great: William Jones, Charles Murray, Edward Browne, George Borrow, Richard Burton, Edward Palmer and, of course, Fitzgerald, translator of the Rubaiyat.

The medieval period of Persia's remarkably continuous, history began with its conquest by the Muslim Arabs in the seventh century AD and gave way to the modern period at the end of the eighteenth century when the influence of the West became pervasive. Without an understanding of the confused legacy of these centuries, no-one can hope to understand the complexities and dynamism of modern Iran. Concise, clear and colourful, David Morgan's book is the best and most up-to-date short account of its subject in the English language.

A History of Persia is a complete chronicle of Persia and the surrounding lands from the dawn of history to the twentieth century, making this standard work still very useful for students and reference libraries.

Upon his return from India, Alexander the Great travelled to the Persian royal city of Pasargadae to pay homage at the tomb of King Cyrus, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, whom he admired greatly. Disgusted to find Cyrus’ tomb desecrated and looted, the Macedonian king had the tomb guards tortured, the Persian provincial governor executed and the tomb refurbished. This episode involving Cyrus’ tomb serves as one of many case studies in Alexander’s relationship with Persia. At times Alexander would behave pragmatically, sparing his defeated enemies and adopting Persian customs. Sisygambis, the mother of Persian King Darius III, allegedly came to view Alexander as a son and starved herself at the news of his demise. On other occasions he did not shy away from destruction (famously torching the palace at Persepolis) and cruelty, earning himself the nickname ‘the accursed’. This conflicting nature gives Alexander a complex legacy in the Persian world. Joseph Stiles explores Alexander the Great’s fascinating relationship with his ‘spear-won’ empire, disentangling the motives and influences behind his policies and actions as ‘King of Asia’.

Browne's famous work, first published in 1902, was the essential text on literary history in Persian studies for many years. As an overview of Persian literature from the earliest times until Firdawsi, it continues to be a valuable reference. Out of print for some time, it is now reissued as a library edition, in facsimile to capture the feel of the original edition.