A Literary History of Persia

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A Literary History of Persia : New,
Volumes I & II,
[A5] Large Paperback - 1112 pages,
by Edward G. Browne,
Published by Goodword (India).

Now in Stock November 2021

Description :

A Literary History of Persia by Edward G. Browne is a veritable magnum opus covering the Pre-Islamic to the Firdawsi periods, including mysticism (tasawwuf).

The author has made a splendidly thorough study of the subject, basing his conclusions on source material spread over a vast era of almost two millenia.

The book will be intersting and useful both to those who have no previous knowledge of Persian culture and history as well as to those who are already well versed in these subjects.

This edition contains Two Volumes within one book. Volume One has 535 pages, and Volume Two has 577 pages, which is a total in excess of 1100 pages. As it is printed in India it appears a bit rough round the edges, with a few marks and bruises here and there. Please take this into account when ordering. A western printed edition perfectly bound in Hardback is also available to order but this will cost an astronomical £600.

A Literary History of Persia :

Brief Contents:

Volume [I]: From the Earliest Times until Firdawsi,

---Preface,

---On the Origins & General History of the People, Language & Literatures of Persia,

---Chapter [1]. Introduction,
------The old Persian language,
------Periods of the Persian language,
------Beginnings of modern Persian,
------Beginnings of Persian Poetry,
------The Medes,
------Persian Dialects,
------Date of the Avesta,
------Origin of the Iranians.

---Chapter [2]. The Discovery & Interpretations of the Inscriptions and Documents of Ancient Persia, with other Philological Matters,
------Arabic Chairs Founded,
------Decipherment of Inscriptions,
------Origin of Persian Cuneiform,
------Burnouf's Work,
------The War of the Methods,
------Pahlawi Inscriptions,
------Huzvarish,
------Modern Dialects.

---Chapter [3]. The Pre-Muhammadan Literature of the Persians, with some Account of their Legendary History, as set forth in the Book of Kings,
------A Personal Explanation,
------The Avesta,
------Pahlawi Literature,
------The Persian Epic.

Volume [II]. From Firdawsi to Sa'di,

---On the History of Persia from the Rise of the Sasanian to the Fall of the Umayyad Dynasty [226 - 750 Common Era].

---Chapter [4]. The Sasanian Period,
------Divine right of Kings,
------Bibi Shahr-Banu,
------Toleration A Sin,
------Legend of Ardashir,
------The Haji-Abad Inscription,
------The Manichaeans,
------Fall of the House of Sasan,
------The Christians of Nejran,
------The Persians Conquer Yaman,
------The Prophet's, peace be upon him, Message.

---Chapter [5]. The Arab Invasion,
------Muslims before the Negush,
------The Early Muslims,
------Pagan Arabs,
------Al-Fakhri's Narrative,
------Conversion of the Persians,
------Early Persian Converts,
------Survival 'Fire-Worship.

---Chapter [6]. The Umayyad Period.
------The Caliphate,
------The Prophet's, peace be upon him, Achievement,
------The Caliphate of 'Uthman,
------The murder of 'Uthman,
------'Ali and Mu'awiya,
------The Kharijites,
------Yazid,
------Karbala,
------Rebellion of Al-Mukhtar,
------Causes of Discontent,
------The Subject Races,
------'Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz,
------The Abbasid Propaganda,
------Sects of the Shi'ah,
------Presages of Disaster,
------The Revolution.

Volume [III]. On the Early 'Abbasid Period, or Golden Age of Islam,

---Chapter [7]. The Golden Period,
------The Character of the Abbasid Rule,
------The Office of Wazir,
------Contempt of Arabs for Letters,
------A Literary Pre-eminence of Persians,
------The Shu'ubiyya,
------Evolution of Muslim Sciences,
------Earliest Arabic Prose,
------Chief Writers of this Period.

---Chapter [8]. The Developments of Religion & Philosophy in the Golden Age of Islam,
------The Mu'tazila,
------The Doctrine of Free-Will,
------Doctrine of the Mu'tazila,
------The Decline of the Mu'tazila,
------Al-Ashari,
------The Ikhwanu 's-Safa,
------The Orthodox Schools,
------The Early Sufis,
------Origin of Sufism,
------The Sabaeans,
------The Syrians of Harran,
------Heresy in Fashion.

---Chapter [9]. The Great Persian Heresiarchs of this Period,
------The Ultra-Shi'ites,
------Execution of Babak,
------The Trial of Afshin.

Volume [IV]. On the First Period of the Decline of the Caliphate, from the Accession of Al-Mutawakkil to the Accession of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna;

---Chapter [10]. The General Phenomena of the First Period of the Decline of the Caliphate,
------The Persian Renaissance,
------The Reign of Al-Mu'tamid,
------Yaqub b. Layth,
------Ahmad of Khujistan,
------Men of Letters,
------Reign of Al-Muqtadir,
------The Samanids,
------Reign of Al-Mu'ti,
------Al-Mutanabbi,
------Al-Mutanabbi's Contemporaries.

---Chapter [11]. The State of Muslim Literature and Science at the Beginning of the Ghaznawi Period,
------The Ikhwanu 's-Safa,
------The Fihrist,
------Equipment of the Persian Student.

---Chapter [12]. The Religious Movements of this Period,
------The Ismailis and Carmathians, or the 'Sect of the Seven,'
------The Imam Ismail,
------Abdullah b. Maymun al-Qaddah,
------The Ismaili Doctrine,

---Chapter [13]. Sufi Mysticism,
------Etymology of Sufi,
------Theories of it's Origin,
------Sufi Aphorisms,
------Bayazid and Junayd,
------Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj,
------Persian Sufi Poets,
------Expounded by Jami,
-----'Annihilation in God'

---Chapter [14]. The Literature of Persia During this Period,
------Down to the Year 1000 Common Era,
------Short Bibliography of the Principal Works by Europeans,
------Index.

Volume [II]: From the Earliest Times until Firdawsi,

---Preface,

---Chapter [1]. Retrospective and Introductory,

---Chapter [2]. The Ghaznawi Period, until the Death of Sultan Mahmud,

---Chapter [3]. The Early Seljuq Period,

---Chapter [4]. The The Literature of the Early Seljuq Period,

---Chapter [5]. The Period of Sanjar and his Brothers,

---Chapter [6]. The Four Great Poets of the Late Twelfth Century,
------Anwari,
---------Zhukovski on Anwari,
------Khaqani,
---------Khaqani and Abu L'ala,
---------Khaqani's Travels,
------Nidhami,
---------The Khamsa of Nidhami,
------Khusraw and Shirin,
------Layla and Majnun,
------The Haft Paykar,
------The Iskandar-nama,
------Dhahir of Faryab.

---Chapter [7]. The Empire of Khwarazm and the Mongol Invasion, the Fall of Baghdad and the Extinction of the Caliphate,
------Ibn al-Athir on the Mongols,
------The Character of the Mongols,
------The Mongols in Transoxiana,
------Mongol Relations with Europe,
------Literature of the Mongols,
------Conversion of Mongols to Islam,
------Jalal ud-Din Khwarazmshah,
------History of the Assassins,
------Last Grand Masters of Alamut,
------The Mongols attack Baghdad,
------Death of the Last 'Abbasid Caliph.

---Chapter [8]. The Writers of the Eraly Mongol Period,
------Al-Makin and Al-'Utbi,
------Al-Juwayni and an-Nasawi,
------Biographers,
------Local Histories and Travel.
------Al-Qazwini and Ibn Jubayr,
------Nasir al-Din al-Tusi,
------Other Arabic Writers,
------The Mystics,
------Najm al-Din Kubra,
------Al-Suhrawardi and Ibn al-Arabi,
------Muhiy ud-Din ibn al-Arabi,
------'Umar Ibn al-Farid.

---Chapter [9]. Three Great Mystical Poets :
---Farid al-Din 'Attar, Jalal al-Din Rumi and Sa'di, and some lesser Poets of this Period,
------Farid al-Din al-Attar,
------Jalal al-Din al-Rumi,
---------The Diwan of Shams i-Tabriz,
------Sa'di,
---------Sa'di's Travels,
---------The Gulistan of Sa'di,
---------The Kulliyyat of Sa'di,
---------Sa'di's Ghazals,
---------Verses in the Diwan and Gulistan,
------Hafidh (Hafiz) indebted to Sa'di,
------Kamal-ud-Din Isma'il,
------Conclusion.

---Index.