Iran: Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day [Paperback]

'At this time above all, we need a deeply informed, engagingly written history of the nation from Cyrus to Khomeini and beyond. Axworthy does the job with balance and aplomb. Readers ... will warm to his human-scale portrait of a self-renewing culture that, as with its world-beating cinema today, shows "enduring greatness" and "creative power".' --Boyd Tonkin, Independent

'Axworthy presents a history by turns thrilling, cautionary, inspiring and surprising'
-- Scotland on Sunday

'A beautifully distilled ... history that flashes with insight on every page'
--David Gardner, FT

'The best single-volume introduction to Iranian history'

'More gripping than a novel ... Empire of the Mind's account of Iran today and the challenges it faces is worth a thousand documentaries and newspaper briefing articles'

'[An] excellent short history'

'Michael Axworthy's deft untangling of the country's history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement'

Iran often appears in the media as a hostile and difficult country. But beneath the headlines there is a fascinating story of a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and enormous cultural importance. A nation whose impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbours in the Middle East but on the world as a whole – and through ideas and creativity rather than by the sword.

From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis and current president Mahmud Ahmadinejad – a controversial figure within as well as outside the country – Michael Axworthy traces a vivid, integrated account of Iran’s past. He explains clearly and carefully both the complex succession of dynasties that ruled ancient Iran and the surprising ethnic diversity of the modern country, held together by a common culture.

With Iran again the focus of the world’s attention, and questions about the country’s disposition and intentions pressing, Iran: Empire of the Mind is an essential guide to understanding a complicated land.

Michael Axworthy is the former head of the Iran desk at the Foreign Office and author of a very well-received book on Nader Shah, published in 2006.