{"product_id":"history-kings-persia-being-complete-chronicle-events-that-2ryqap7w","title":"[History of the Kings of Persia: being A Complete Chronicle of Events of that Ancient Country, from the Prehistoric Times down to the Settlement of Parsis in India.]","description":"\u003cp\u003eExtremely rare: a lovely copy of Palanji Barjorji Desai’s (1851 - 1934) important history of Persia and the experiences of the Parsis (7th century Zoroastrian immigrants to India and their descendants) from ancient times up to the establishment of the Parsis in India. Written in Gujarati, the vernacular of most modern Parsis, the richly detailed two-volume work is complete with three custom lithographed maps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Parsis (which translates to ‘Persian’) are an ethnic group that adheres to the Zoroastranism. During the Arab-Islamic conquest of Persia during the seventh century, many Zoroastrians fled to India, with most initially establishing themselves in Gujarat. Over the centuries, these Zoroastrian communities, called Parisis, developed a district cultural identity, while most spoke Gujarati as their daily language. They are distinct from the Iranis, Zoroastrians who moved from Persia to India in the 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Parsis came to prominence under the British Raj and first half of the twentieth century, with several of India’s preeminent businessmen, intellectuals, artists and philanthropists coming from their ranks. The Parsis maintained close relationships with the British colonial hierarchy and their leaders received knighthoods and other forms of official recognition. While the Parsis, who came to mostly live in Bombay, were always small in number (their community counted 114,000 at its peak, in 1941), they had an out-sized influence on greater Indian society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesai billed his work as being “Collated from different sources, with special reference to the latest researches”. The first volume focusses upon the history of the ancient ruling eras in Persia of the Iranians, Mehabadians, Peshdadians, Kaianians and Assyrians. While the second concerns the histories of the hegemonies of the Medes, Achaemenians, Macedonian Greeks, Ashkanians and Sassanians, before focussing upon the Zoroastrians of Iran, Islamic Rule in Iran, and the “Zoroastrians of Hindustan,” being the Parsi community of India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first map depicts the area from Greece to Northern India, labelling dozens of key sites relevant to the Zoroastrians and their migration to India. The second map (being double page), shows the Middle East centred on Persia, labelling many places discussed in the text. The third is a map of ancient Persia (measuring 230 by 330mm) labelling key locations mentioned in the text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePalanji Barjorji Desai was the leading Parsi journalist and historian of the turn of the century, as well as one of the era’s most prominent writers in the Gujarati language. He was universally respected by all of Bombay’s communities (Muslims, Hindus, etc.), a rare feat in a time of rising secularism. He joined the \u003cem\u003eRaast Goftar\u003c\/em\u003e newspaper in 1874, for which he would work for 42 years, serving as its deputy editor for 28 years, and then as its editor from 1902 until his retirement in 1916.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRaast Goftar\u003c\/em\u003e (meaning ‘Truth Teller’), established in 1851, was the first and by far and away most important Parsi newspaper, and was primarily written in Gujarati. Founded by the great Parsi politician, merchant and scholar Dadabhai Naoroji, it sought the social reform of the Parsi community and pursued a liberal and enlightened editorial stance. In the 1870s, it became one of the Bombay’s four daily newspapers and had a profound influence upon society and politics well beyond the Parsi and Guajarati-speaking communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his duties at \u003cem\u003eRaast Goftar\u003c\/em\u003e, Desai also ran a monthly magazine, Khur-e-Elam (from 1880 to 1900) and authored 33 books, as well as innumerable articles, on history, mythology and Gujarati language. In 1926, Desai received a large award of 9,000 Rupees from his journalist\/academic peers in recognition of his life’s work. He notably also received prizes from various Parsi, Hindu and Muslim societies, indicative of his role as an interfaith bridgebuilder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe locate 3 copies at Columbia, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, and the Gandhi Smriti Library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMenant, D. \u0026amp; Murzban, M.M., \u003cem\u003eThe Parsis: Exodus, Zoroastrians in Persia, population with 55 half-tone portraits \u0026amp; illustrations\u003c\/em\u003e (1994), p.40; Nawabi, Y.M., \u003cem\u003eA Bibliography of Iran: History, mythology \u0026amp; foreign relation (political and military)\u003c\/em\u003e (1969), p.250; Williams, H.S., \u003cem\u003eThe Historians’ History of the World: A Comprehensive Narrative of the Rise and Development of Nations as Recorded by Over Two Thousand of the Great Writers of All Ages\u003c\/em\u003e, vol. 2 (1907), p.664; \u003cem\u003eStatement Exhibiting the Moral and Material Progress and Condition of India during the Year 1896-7\u003c\/em\u003e (London, H.M.’s Stationary Office, 1898), p. 175.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Maggs Bros.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48165893963933,"sku":"262508","price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0669\/0045\/9677\/files\/262508_01.jpg?v=1778472101","url":"https:\/\/store.maggs.com\/products\/history-kings-persia-being-complete-chronicle-events-that-2ryqap7w","provider":"Maggs Bros.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}