Review by Choice Review
Anyone looking for a concise overview of Iranian history from pre-Islamic times to the present could do worse than consult this elegantly written volume, part of a series on the rise and fall of civilizations. The authors (both, Univ. of Birmingham, UK) devote fully half of the book to ancient Iran, which they see as both the world's first superpower and a model for the modern, postimperial world in its federalist tendencies. The book's focus is on Iran, but the Parkers occasionally branch out into the wider "Persianate" universe, such as in a nice chapter on Central Asia, while offering illuminating digressions on poetry and gardens. Assuming cultural coherence and continuity, the authors present Iranian history as an unbroken narrative of glory, decline, and regeneration--much as Iranians themselves tend to do. Ignoring, or perhaps unaware of, recent writings on the origins and elements of Iranian nationalism, the authors never pause to ponder the role that Western-led archaeology and European-style historiography played in the construction of an Iranian self-image as a teleological tale connecting Cyrus the "Great" to the Islamic Republic. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduates. --Rudi P. Matthee, University of Delaware
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
