The World in Miniature: Persia - Frederic Shoberl | Complete Illustrated English EPUB

Illustrated previews from this edition

Read the opening

THE country to which these volumes relate is one of those which possess the double interest of ancient and modern celebrity. Situated near, if not actually embracing the cradle of the human race, Persia was, according to the concurrent testimony of tradition and history, at an early period of the world a powerful empire. The ineffectual struggles of its despotic rulers to enslave the independent republics of Greece, and its rapid subjugation by the Macedonian conqueror, occupy a very prominent place in the annals of antiquity: while its reduction by the disciples of Mahomet, the many subsequent invasions of barbarous marauders, its frequent hostilities with Turkey, and the commercial relations which long subsisted between Persia and some of the European States, have in more recent ages rendered it an object of curiosity and attention.

Little, however, was done, till near the close of the seventeenth century, towards making the western world acquainted with a country, with the name of which all that is most attractive, elegant, and tender, in oriental literature, romance and poetry, is intimately associated. The work of the accurate Chardin then removed much of the profound obscurity in which the character and manners of the Persians were enveloped. That writer continued to be the only authority on those subjects till the commencement of the present century, since which the assiduity bestowed by our countrymen on the study of the language and letters of Persia, our frequent intercourse with that country, the repeated embassies sent to its sovereign, and the travels, researches, and labours of an Ouseley, Malcolm, Morier, Kinnier, Scott Waring, and Porter, have furnished nearly as complete notions respecting the government, laws, manners, customs and character of the people of this empire, as we possess relative to those of any European nation.

The reader will naturally conclude that in the compilation of these volumes, the valuable sources of information enumerated above, have not been overlooked. To Mr. Morier's truly interesting narratives of his two journeys, and the recent costly publication of Sir Robert Ker Porter, he professes to owe particular obligations. A correct portraiture of costume and character is given in the engravings, some of which are executed from original designs by Persian artists.

The proximity of the Persian empire to the British dominions in the east; the good understanding which it is our interest to cultivate with its sovereign; the importance which Feth Ali Shah has acquired by the policy of his government and the introduction of the European discipline and arms among his troops; and the menacing attitude lately assumed by him in regard to Turkey, will scarcely fail to stimulate in a powerful manner the curiosity of the English reader, and to procure for this fifth division of THE WORLD IN MINIATURE, as favourable a reception as the preceding portions have experienced.

Explore an illustrated European portrait of Persia in 1822: costume, customs, daily life and the arts, compiled and edited by Frederic Shoberl. This complete English EPUB brings the original three volumes together with distinct volume divisions.

Includes every chapter, front matter, note and caption, with all 30 original colour engravings and clickable contents. A complete reflowable edition, without abridgment.

The English text was corrected against the scans using AI, and the complete aligned English and new Arabic translation received independent AI review. No professional human proofreading is claimed. Colonial viewpoints, religious stereotypes and historical errors are preserved as historical evidence, without endorsement.

Based on the original 1822 edition, not the abridged Philadelphia edition of 1828. Source No Copyright-US designations concern the United States; territorial rules elsewhere may differ.

Digital EPUB download; no physical book is shipped. The cover uses original colour artwork from the book.

Original source: Cincinnati library