The Persians: Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Iran

I am no book critic. I have been reading and enjoying Dr. Katouzian's books for twenty years. This book brings together his vast and scholarly knowledge of 2500 years of Iranian history. No writer has achieved this. The narrative is very fluid and easy to read and understand, despite the sometimes complex subjects. I could not wait to finish it, so that I could start reading it again. If you are an Iranian, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. If you have adult children, please encourage them to read it. If you have young children, save this book in a safe place, and let them read it when they grow up. Finally, if you are interested in modern Iran, his two books about Musaddiq and the Emergence of the Pahlavis are unsurpassed for their quality of research and writing. You can find these and his other works on Amazon.

I had read the Farsi translation of this book (printed in Iran) before I bought it. The Farsi translation is done extremely well, but due to restrictions imposed on what could or could not be printed in Iran (due to the "gangster" nature of government in Iran,) the last two chapters of the book (which contained history of the current "government" over the past 36-years) were missing in Farsi version. This book is the best summary-type Iranian history book of the past 2,500 to 3,000 years that I have seen and read. I recommend this book to everyone, specially all Iranian-Americans, and to their families-- the best book to familiarize young generation with Iranian history. I also highly recommend the Farsi version (translation)-- all unfamiliar Farsi and Arabic names (in English language) can be easily read and understood in Farsi Translation. Otherwise, readers who do not have Farsi language background, would have problems to follow-up the history in the English version, alone. This book is the best Iranian summary-type history book that (I believe) has been researched and prepared by a very qualified person, and printed, over the past 100 years. I also believe that the funding for such a First Class work must have come from U.S. government-- perhaps from the U.S. National Security apparatus. Thank you, Professor Katouzian.

This book is an interpretative history of Iran from the Achaemenid empire until today. It is intended for a general reader and not for scholars. The book is prefaced by a chapter in which the author describes his overall analysis of Iranian culture and the impact of history on Iranian psychology. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. The first two and a half millennia of Iranian history are covered in only 150 pages. Thus Iran's ancient past receives only the most glancing overview. Unfortunately the author seeks to provide a chronology of almost every significant event in this immense period of time and this makes for a somewhat difficult read. I found that I often had difficulty following the course of so many events covered so briefly. The bulk of the book is concentrated on 20th century Iran. Although the author has firm opinions about the individuals who have figured in recent Iranian history, I believe that his treatment is fair. He documents the reasons for his judgements and his analysis is not only quite believable but, in my opinion, convincing. In particular, I felt that his coverage of the era of Mohammad Mosaddeq as prime minister was well balanced and enlightening. The U.S participation in the coup to overthrow Mosaddeq is so often cited as a justifiable source of hostility toward the U.S. that it was most helpful to understand 1) The basis for Iranian sensitivity regarding western intervention in Iranian affairs and 2) the domestic Iranian circumstances that made Mosaddeq's ouster likely in the first place. Katouzian attributes the 1979 revolution primarily to mismanagement on the part of both Reza Shah and his son, Mohammed Reza Shah. In particular, the unwillingness of either of the two Pahlavis to build toward a constitutional monarchy, insisting instead upon a traditional Iranian autocracy, doomed their regime. In summary, this book seeks to provide an interpretation of the history of Iran that will assist the reader in understanding contemporary Iran. I believe that it is completely successful in this regard. It is a slightly tedious read due to the copious detail it offers but the reward is worth the effort.

I read this during my trip to Iran. I like it a lot except I'm more into pre-modern history so I felt the bulk of the book being on modern history was too much for me so I sort of zoned out once it crossed the 1980s and I already knew from reading the news over the decades of what went on.

This is an excellent history of Persia / Iran ; author not only gives us an accurate chronological description of events but also and most importantly delivers an accurate , intelligent and hard hitting analyses of political and social culture of Iranian state and society from its inception to the present ; contrary to most historians author convincingly argues that Iran was never a feudal society ; Iran had either a strong arbitrary ruler who imposed order and territorial integrity with brute force or there existed chaos and disorder ; there never was a power sharing with an aristocratic or other ruling class ;

This is an enjoyable read that offers good coverage and balanced observations. Highly recommended.

Well worth the cost to buy and the time to read. There is an 18 page Introduction that provides a very good overview of important Iranian political and religious history. This is very useful since in the 400 pages of this book there are many, many events related. In fact, there are so many that it is hard to keep things straight!! This book is especially useful in current times of international tensions.

Vengono presentate le fasi di continuità e di rottura nella storia della Persia/Iran. Non cade nella semplificazione eccessiva e la curiosità del lettore più appassionato può essere appagata da un'ottima bibliografia selezionata.

I loved the first chapter because it set out a fascinating scene regarding the Iranian history to succession and rule of law. It has been a tale of periods of stability under a strong shah then a brutal fight to determine the next one, and so on. For a new reader to the story from then on it was difficult to get a sense of the country over the centuries. One conflict, war and betrayal after another. The modern story was more detailed and comprehensible.

Finding a good book on Iran and its history is difficult. The Persians by Katouzian goes a long way to fill a significant gap in the field of history books on Iran. It includes massive amounts of detailed information from the very start of the Iranian civilization to the rise of Ahmadinejad. If you are doing research on Iran it is an excellent beginning or even a prime source of material. Additionally, the author does a good job in trying to explain the Iranian psyche which acts as a driving force in Iran's society and politics. It is however a book with significant flaws. The pre-modern material on Iran is very poorly structured with the author choosing to briefly mention significant events in one section and then analyzing them in detail a few pages afterwards. I have found almost an entire page being repeated twice verbatim in two sections of a chapter just to make a point half a page long. Therefore, the book feels somehwat erratic and disjointed rather than a beautifully flowing telling of the history of the country like for example Harold Tanner's books on China. Additionally, the book becomes increasingly dry especially in the modern era where concurrently the reader is swamped with uneccessary detail. Finally, his analysis on the deterioration of US-Iranian relations falls short. I would strongly recommend buying this book in combination with Understanding Iran by Polk which is much thinner on pre-modern Iranian history but much better at explaining US-Iranian relations in the modern era. So to sum it up; if you are looking for a detailed book on Iranian History this is it but keep in mind its poor structure and its dry writing.

Es un libro que escribió un iraní. No le he leído entero pero me gustan los detalles que describe el autor

Excellently researched and hefty book with a large amount of info ranging from Zoroastrianism to modern politics. Great book.