Published by IRANBOOKS

Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.

$25.00 (Plus $4.00 S & H)

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An introduction to Persian is intended to serve as an introduction on the elementary level to the modern Persian language. Each lesson is provided with specific exercises and drills for the major grammatical and syntactical points.

Vocabulary included at the end of each lesson are intended for active acquisition. Specialized supplementary vocabulary lists are also scattered throughout the book.

In part two of the grammar, the outstanding differences between modern and classical usage are given. In part three the distinguishing features of ordinary colloquial Persian are given.

Wheeler M. Thackston is Professor of the Practice of Persian and other Near East Languages at Harvard University, where he has taught Persian and Arabic for over twenty years.

Author of numerous books and articles on the languages and literature of the Near East, his works include: A Century of Prices, Tales from Luristan, Naser-e Khosrow's Book of Travels and A Millenium of Classical Persian Poetry.

Praise for An Introduction to Persian

Thackston's new edition... it must be said is difficult to fault. It is both meticulous and systematic, without being idiosyncratic... In particular, the relationship between modern colloquial speech, educated usage, and the classical language is treated in some detail, with more success than in any previous manual.

So long as there exists no introduction to Persian as an international language, treating its various forms on a relatively equal basis, this feature of Thackston's work makes it the most useful for students of Persian as it is used outside of Iran.

-- Brian Spooner, University of Pennsylvania

This long-awaited text once more demonstrates Professor Thackston's mastery over the Persian language and its intricacies, both in its modern and classical form.

Thackston makes Persian grammar clear and understandable. His emphasis in on the spoken and written language in today's Iran, on the Persian which is taught in schools and spoken and understood by all the different ethnic groups in Iran...

This new edition is a major contribution for those involved in teaching the Persian language. It also makes the learning of Persian more accessible and enjoyable.

-- Haleh Esfandiari, Princeton University, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin