This handbook is the first-of-its-kind comprehensive overview of fantasy outside the Anglo-American hegemony. While most academic studies of fantasy follow the well-trodden path of focusing on Tolkien, Rowling, and others, our collection spotlights rich and unique fantasy literatures in India, Australia, Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia, China, and many other areas of Europe, Asia, and the global South. The first part focuses on the theoretical aspects of fantasy, broadening and modifying existing definitions to accommodate the global reach of the genre. The second part contains essays illuminating specific cultures, countries, and religious or ethnic traditions. From Aboriginal myths to (self)-representation of Tibet, from the appropriation of the Polish Witcher by the American pop culture to modern Greek fantasy that does not rely on stories of Olympian deities, and from Israeli vampires to Talmudic sages, this collection is an indispensable reading for anyone interested in fantasy fiction and global literature.

A Consular Officer in Bushire, serving in Mesopotamia and Luristan during First World War, Edmonds was sent to Qazvin after the war. He witnessed the Jangal upheaval and the 1921 coup d Etat. The encounter with Persia of a well-trained and brilliant British agent.

George Nathaniel Curzon (1859-1925) was a British politician, traveler, and writer who served as viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905 and foreign secretary from 1919 to 1924. As a young man he traveled extensively and wrote several books that drew on his travels, including Russia in Central Asia (1889), Persia and the Persian Question (1892), and Problems of the Far East (1894). Persia and the Persian Question, presented here, is two-volume work, based on a six-month stay in Iran that Curzon began in late 1899 as a correspondent for the London newspaper, the Times. The author's intent, as he states in the preface, is to produce "the standard work in the English language" on the subject. After two introductory chapters, chapters 3-12 document Curzon's visits to and observations concerning different parts of the country, including the journey from Ashkabad (present-day Ashgabat, Turkmenistan) into Iran and stays in Kuchan, Meshed, Khorasan, Seistan, Tehran, and elsewhere. Volume one concludes with individual chapters devoted to the shah and the royal family; the government; institutions and reforms; the northwest and northwestern provinces; the army; and railroads. Volume two begins with another seven chapters (19-25) recounting journeys to different parts of the country, including Isfahan, Shiraz, Bushir (present-day Bushehr), and the eastern, southeastern, and southwestern provinces. The remaining chapters (26-30) deal with the navy; the Persian Gulf; revenue, resources and manufactures; commerce and trade; and British and Russian policy in Persia. For Curzon, the essence of "the Persian question" is the rivalry between the Russian and British empires for influence in Persia, which he discusses in detail in the final chapter. This chapter also deals with Persia's "two Asiatic neighbours," Afghanistan and the Ottoman Empire, both of which "held large tracts of territory that were once included within the Persian dominions." Curzon ends on a hopeful note regarding the future development of the country, but he cautions patience and warns that "colossal schemes for the swift regeneration of Persia ... will only end in fiasco." He also warns against a dominant role for foreign concessions: "Persian capital must be interested in the exploitation of Persian resources, for a monopoly of the finance by foreigners excites jealousy, and suggests the idea of usurpation." The book includes illustrations and maps.

Behind the Iran-Iraq war rests a history of conflict stretching back to the Ottoman Turks and the Persians. This book examines the deep-seated and complex factors involved in the rivalry between these two nations. It focuses particularly on the period between 1969 and 1984, a time that saw both the rise of the Ba’th party in Iraq and Khomeini’s return to power in Iran. These changes did much to escalate tensions. The Ba’th party’s ideological, socialist regime and its emphasis on political secular concerns stood in marked contrast to Iran under Khomeini and his efforts to spread an Islamic revolution among the nation’s Shiite majority. The author discusses how these differences have affected three long-term problems: Iraq’s and Iran’s rivalry for dominance in the Arabian Gulf region; disputes over the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which serves as a boundary between the two nations; and the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq, supported by Iran. The volume also looks at the most recent episodes of crisis and analyzes the evolution of the Iran-Iraq war and its implications both regionally and globally. Unlike other studies of Iraq’s relations with Iran, Abdulghani’s is distinguished by its systematic and comprehensive synthesis which interlocks legal, cultural, historical and political issues that have characterized relations between the two countries.

All my life I have been unable to answer that definitive question. Stumbling into the wrong tales, Admiring my well-manicured nails. Floundering with the ums and hmms, Until I came across those two gems. So please world, do not hesitate to ask me one more time... "How would you describe yourself?" And I will showily respond with Delightful Complex.