A Persian curiosity

There are many nineteenth century books in European languages with actual photographs pasted in, but a Persian book, printed lithographically in Bombay 100 years ago and carrying actual photographs of no less than six heads of state, five of them European, must be ranked as a curiosity. The title-page of the book does justice to the florid style of Persian favoured by the Shahs: (in translation) ‘A Relation of Some of the Events in the Life of King N' asiruddin Shah of the Qajar Dynasty, Including Some of the Beautiful Poems Written by Him and a Narrative of his Travels.’ This is followed by the grandiloquent and long-winded title of King N'asiruddin Shah, who ruled Iran from 1848 until his assassination in 1896. As is usual with Oriental works of the time, particulars of the printing are given in the colophon at the end of the book. It states that the volume was printed in House No. 128, Mohalla Umarkari, Bombay, in Moharram 1302 Hijri, that is to say, in the year 1885

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