"In this book, the first in English about Nasir al-Din Shah, Abbas Amanat gives us both a biography of the man and an analysis of the institution of monarchy in modern Iran. Amanat poses a fundamental question: how did monarchy, the center-piece of an ancient political order, withstand and adjust to the challenges of modern times, both at home and abroad? Nasir al-Din Shah's life and career, his upbringing and personality, and his political conduct provide remarkable material for answering this question.

Introduction By Lee Streiff "In 1937 James Streiff and Bob Parks created 'the Epic of the Martian Empire'; in 1942 Paul Carter added his vision of the Cosmic Vortex to it, and the Universe was never the same again..." Lee Streiff Once we lived in the world of the Martian Empire, but that now seems like a long time ago - it all began in those last remaining years before World War II changed our consciousnesses forever. It was an ephemeral, still time; a quiet space in which we could dream about the future without the burden of its consequences: ghastly war - genocide - the atomic bomb. It was in 1937... and my brother James was 13, and in the eighth grade at Robinson Junior High School in Wichita, Kansas. And in James's mind he was fashioning a cosmic empire filled with strange and wonderful creatures and races - in which a stalwart group of Exiles from the planet Mars were the chief actors and heroes. This Empire, the Martian Empire, eventually spread over most of the known Universe before it finally faded away in 1948'. During the eleven years it flourished however, the Martian Epic became very elaborate - covering some 15 billion years of Martian history - and Martian technology, manners and morals, art, music, religion, language and literature. And it generated a narrative Epic that encompassed many galaxies. Although a number of people became involved in this epic - Bob Parks, John Roth, Robert Frickel, Charles Goodrum, and Robert Arnold, among others - it was first and foremost the vision of James, who worked out and brought together the maps, timelines, the celestial spaces, the customs, and the characters that made up the Martian Empire in all its diverse grandeur. In early 1937 I was only four years old - and so it was that most of my childhood and youth were somehow surrounded or suffused with the images and tales of the Epic. However it was not until I reached the age of eleven that I became the brief inheritor of, and participant in the affairs of the Epic itself. It was during World War II in 1943. that I first took over the job of running the business of the Martian Empire while all of its members were away from Wichita, in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Knowing that he would soon be drafted, James began grooming me for the task early in that year. He reported for active Military duty on June 3, 1943, and that changed the course of my daily life. I was now on my own, with a heavy responsibility, I published The Martian News Letter, the official journal of the group, using carbon paper - and a bit later a hectograph; published, The Order of Shultz, which circulated the business of the inner circle; reorganized The Files; answered correspondence among the far flung Martians scattered around the globe; and did research for a number of topics for James, using my contacts in the world of Science Fiction Fandom. When James returned from active service in February of 1946, my task had been completed, and in any case, my interests were largely turning in other directions. By 1947, in my sophomore year at East High School, I was even leaving Science Fiction itself behind and was now involved in art and literature. But then that is another story. In the Following seven Chapters, Lee Streiff describes in his "Guide to the Epic of the Martian Empire" of how the tales and creation of the Epic... all came about.

Originating about 1163 CE, Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism is one of the most important Daoist movements in Chinese history. It remains the dominant form of monastic Daoism in the modern world, especially in its Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage. This landmark anthology provides complete or partial translations of twenty-one Quanzhen texts. Most have never been translated or even discussed in scholarly literature. Louis Komjathy gives particular attention to work completed by the Quanzhen movement's founder, Wang Chongyang (1113–1170 CE), and his first generation disciples. Translations include representative works from every major genre of Quanzhen literature, from poetry and discourse records to didactic texts, commentaries, and hagiographies. Three monastic manuals from the late medieval and late imperial periods of Quanzhen history are also included. An introduction to Quanzhen Daoism begins the work, and each chapter provides discussions of the history and topics relevant to each translation.

As a student in Iran, Parviz Kambin became fascinated by his countrys history. In this textbook, he writes from a unique perspective about his native lands complex past. This history is more important than ever to understand as the East and West are increasingly at odds. Divided into six parts, the text covers key issues of the Iranian plateau, including: how Arab-Islamic conquest affected the land and its people; why the Pahlavi kings and limited monarchy were important; how the belief system of occupants developed; how art and science played an important role in society. Youll also discover the surprising freedoms that women enjoyed prior to the seventh century and little-known details behind the Arab-Islamic conquest. The achievements of Iranian poets, philosophers, and scientists are also a focal point. Develop a keen understanding of a region of the world that is increasingly playing a role on the world stage. Take a broad view of Irans political landscape and the unrest that exists there today by looking back and exploring A History of the Iranian Plateau.

Now translated into English, The Incomplete Manuscript: Translated from Azerbaijani by Anne Thompson is a novel narrating the imaginary life of medieval icons. When a young researcher accidentally comes across a manuscript in the Manuscripts Institute, he discovers the unexpected but well-known epic Kitabi Dada Korkud, combined with the history of Azerbaijani shah and poet Shah Ismail's life set in an entirely new interpretation. This stunning novel turns into a game of literary fiction that has already thrilled readers around the world. "From the first pages of Incomplete Manuscript, Kamal Abdulla is like a lapidarist who for days and nights walks around the uncut diamond to find that particular angle for brilliant cut and tries to imagine what it will look like once cut and polished. Read the book as a detective novel and as an approach to myths, and above all as an introduction to the study of self." - Prof. Andrea Brignon, France "Kamal Abdulla still can be singled out as a writer 'dancing' with different layers of language, different periods of national history, different cinematic shots, and montage effects of Confucius." - Prof. Niyazi Mekhti, Baku University of Arts and Culture "Everything that an epic had to suppress in order to achieve 'unity' and 'completeness' - a great artistic force is needed - the force of a Bulgakov, a Joyce, a Walcott, or Kamal Abdulla." - Prof. Max Statkiewicz, University of Wisconsin-Madison Kamal Abdulla is a professor of linguistics in Baku, Azerbaijan. This novel has been published in French, Turkish, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Portuguese. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/KamalAbdulla