Iran and The West

Cyrus Ghani

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136144660
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

First Published in 1987, this volume offers a bibliography of biographies, autobiographies and books on contemporary politics by prominent 20th century figures on the topic of Iran.

A. History, Politics and Travel

A

ABBOTT, JACOB

History of Darius the Great.

New York, 1850; small 8vo; engraved plates and map; 286 pp.

From usual Greek sources and some added fictional history.

ABBOTT, MAJOR JAMES

Narrative of a Journey from Heraut (sic) to Khiva, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

London, 1856; 2 Vols.; 8vo; engraved plate to Vol.II; Vol.I, 380 pp.; Vol.II, 367 pp.

“During the late Russian Invasion of Khiva; with Some Account of the Court of Khiva and the Kingdom of Khaurism.” First published 1842. The author was an officer in the Bengal Artillery and was sent on a political mission by the British envoy in Harat to the Khan of Khiva at a time when Russian troops were threatening and the Khan had requested British assistance. An account of his journey to and stay in Khiva, his capture by robbers on the return journey to Harat, and his ultimate escape.

ABBOTT, JOHN

The Iranians: How They Live and Work.

Devon, England, 1977; 8vo; illustrated and map; 168 pp.

A simplistic and at times absurd book which is not really concerned with “how Iranians live and work”, The author concludes early that everything is well in the country, the people live well and the system works to perfection. The reason advanced for Iran’s success was the elimination of Mosaddeq from the political system. Mosaddeq was a man of “extreme xenophobic tendencies” who treated the oil companies shabbily. He did, however, just one service for his country: The people learned the “futility of nationalism” and the “nobility” of international cooperation. “It was an expensive but a necessary lesson.” Since the disappearance of Mosaddeq, Iran has become a model nation in which “everything works”.

ABDULGHANI, JASIM M.

Iraq and Iran: The Years of Crisis.

Australia, 1984; 8vo; maps; 270 pp.

A superficial account of the recent events and relations between Iraq and Iran, all from secondary sources and with a pro-Iraqi bias, with appendices citing the full texts of Iran-Iraq treaties (1937-1975).

ABERCROMBY, JOHN

A Trip Through the Eastern Caucasus.

London, 1889; 8vo; engraved illustrations (one folding).

folding maps and illustrations in text; 376 pp.

“An account of a six week tour on horseback from Nukha through the eastern Caucasus mountains, amongst the Lesgarian and Tartar peoples and on to Baku and Derbend.” The author appears to have had a particular interest in local dialects but the book is a general account of the countryside and its inhabitants.

ABIDI, A.H.H.

China, Iran and the Persian Gulf.

New Delhi, 1982; 8vo; 325 pp.

An outline of Iranian-Chinese relations. The book dwells mainly on the contemporary era when China reversed its policy in the Persian Gulf by ceasing to help and disassociating itself from the rebels in Dohfar. Author: Nehru University in New Delhi.

ABRAHAMIAN, ERVAND

Iran Between Two Revolutions.

Princeton, New Jersey, 1982; 8vo; 561 pp.

A political and social history of Iran during the period between the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909 and the Islamic Revolution of 1978-1979. Basically a study of the Communist movement in Iran from the thirties to the present and a neo-Marxist interpretation of the major events in 20th century Iran. The author appears to believe that the real revolution is yet to come since the Islamic Revolution did not adhere to classical Marxist paths. The best part of the book is an excellent account of the history of political parties in Iran and their ideologies. Unfortunately there are numerous errors regarding the names of Iranians, and at times certain 19th century names are confused with 20th century people. Some of the errors: Morteza Qoli Bayat’s title was Saham ol Soltan and not Saham ol Saltane; Mohammad Ali Foroughi is confused with his father Mohammad Hossein Foroughi (both had the title Zoka ol Molk); Abol Hassan Diba (Saqat ud Dowle) was not killed by Reza Shah but lived into his eighties, married several times and died after the Revolution of 1979; General Fazlollah Zahedi was a Brigadier General in 1941; Dr. Nour e-Din Kianouri’s grandfather (Sheikh Fazlollah Nouri) was not a Constitutionalist; there are also errors and omissions of first names; errors in names of Ebrahim Qavam, Ali Mohammad Dehqan, General Mohammad Hossein Firouz, Mehdi Farrokh, Reza Hekmat, Baqer Kazemi and others.

Despite such errors, an extremely important book for the sheer breadth of the period covered. Author: Professor of History at Baruch College, City University of New York.

ABU TALEB KHAN ISFAHANI

The Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan in Africa, Asia and Europe During the Years 1799-1803.

London, 1810; 2 Vols.; 8vo; frontispiece to Volume I; Vol.I, 320 pp.; Vol.II, 418 pp.

Abu Taleb was the son of Hajji Mohammad Beik Esfahani who had left Tabriz in his youth and had lived in Esfahan for some years. He fled Esfahan in order to escape the tyrannies of Nader Shah’s reign and settled in Lucknow in India. Hajji Mohammad married an Indian woman and from that marriage Abu Taleb was born in 1752. At the urging of his English friends in India Abu Taleb decided to travel to Britain. The account of his travels was translated from the original Persian into English by Major Charles Stewart. It is the first travel account to the British Isles by a Persian and the first such book to be translated into English.

The author leaves Calcutta in 1799 to begin a long sea voyage with stops at Capetown and St. Helena. He has a lengthy stay in Ireland. He comments that the Irish “are not so intolerant as the English, neither have they the austerity and bigotry of the Scots. In bravery and determination, hospitality and prodigality, freedom of speech and open heartedness, they surpass the English and the Scots” … but they “are deficient in prudence and sound judgment”.

Upon his arrival in London, he rents a flat in a “disreputable” street (Upper Berkeley Street) where some well known courtesans live. He is advised not to live there as few respectable people would visit him, but soon people begin calling on him and he establishes a large circle of English friends. He visits Oxford, which he admires, observing that the university library has about 10,000 books in Arabic and Persian. There is an extensive description of the English landscape and descriptions of social clubs, entertainment, the state of the arts and sciences, trade and industry and especially the poor houses. He is impressed by British military might, particularly the navy. He admires British education and the practice of sending young boys away to school because “they gain strength and courage by having to cope with older boys”. He is impressed with the trust people have in each other, especially that of tradesmen in their customers. He believes the British system of government is “free from imperfections” because it is a perfect blend of “monarchial, aristocratic and democratical governments”. He has an audience with George III “whose mind is an assemblage of every virtue”. He praises him especially for not interfering with the judiciary. He has praise for Pitt although the king has dismissed him. He attends the opening of Parliament and visits the House of Commons on several occasions. The House is a little noisy for his taste. He singles out Pitt and Fox “as the noisiest”. He discusses the nobility, the House of Lords, the Church of England, the position of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the government and the judiciary. He is impressed by the administration of justice and especially the jury system. He adds, however, that the courts the British have established in India are not good and “may lead to sinister consequences”. He is distrustful of lawyers who “can twist the law” when they see fit. He believes lawyers, like judges, should be paid from public funds. His final judgment on the English is as follows.

First, he enumerates their vices: The want of faith in religion, the lower classes being worse; pride and insolence; passion for acquiring wealth; desire of ease and a dislike of exertion; too much time spent sleeping, eating and especially dressing; surrounding themselves with too much luxury; vanity and selfishness; extravagance; contempt for customs of other nations. The author believes the English “write too much” and that most of the writing is trivial. He adds that most of the vices he had named have their roots in “prosperity and love of luxury”.

Their virtues are: High sense of honor; reverence for any person possessing excellence; dread of offending against rules of propriety; desire to improve the condition of the less-privileged and the “common man”; plainness of manners and sincerity; common-sense and soundness of judgment.

An extremely readable book that too few people have commented on. The author returned to India in 1809 via France, Constantinople, Baghdad, Karbela, Najaf and the Persian Gulf. Prior to his travels, the author published a Divan of Hafez (1794) which is one of the earliest printed editions of Hafez. He also wrote poetry and has a book of commentary on poetry.

ABOUL TALEB KHAN ISFAHANI

Voyages du Prince Persan Mirza Aboul Taleb Khan.

Paris, 1819; 8vo; 452 pp.

In French. A French edition of the preceding.

ACHESON, DEAN

Present at the Creation; My Years at the State Department.

New York, 1969; 8vo; 798 pp.

One of the best written memoirs by an American public official. A substantial part is devoted to U.S. relations with Iran. The author as Assistant Secretary of State briefly deals with General Patrick Hurley’s mission to Iran during World War II. He dismisses Hurley’s report deploring Russian and British imperialism in Iran and considers Hurley’s suggestion for the U.S. to work towards the development of democracy in Iran as naive. Also as Under Secretary of State the author recounts briefly the Azarbaijan crisis in late 1945 and 1946 and the Truman administration’s resolve to stand firm against Russian designs. As Secretary of State (1949-1953) Acheson covers the Shah’s visit to the U.S. in November 1949, even then with plans for a military build-up and an army the size of Turkey’s which the Truman administration greatly moderated. He considers the Shah’s visit as a disappointment to everyone.

There is then a brief review of U.S.-Iranian relations as a prelude to the oil crisis of 1951. Acheson’s heart is with Britain throughout the dispute although he blames the British for their shortsightedness in allowing the dispute to lead to nationalization and the breakdown of all negotiations. “Never had so few (the British) Lost so much so stupidly and so fast.” A little known fact that emerges is that Acheson had warned Sir Oliver Franks, the British Ambassador to Washington, that the U.S. would not stand for a British plan to invade Iran in order to seize the oil fields and the refinery.

The author is especially harsh towards Mosaddeq who is described as a “rich, reactionary, feudal-minded Persian inspired by a fanatical hatred of the British and a desire to expel them and their works from the country regardless of cost”. Mosaddeq...