A stunning and evocative first novel with the power of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, HALF OF A YELLOW SUN and THE ISLAND

Describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. Frequently giving rise to colorful digressions, this book blends fact and legend to offer a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.

The exploits of the famous army of Greek mercenaries in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq were described by one of their leaders, the Athenian historian and philosopher Xenophon. This title presents the story of the march of the Ten Thousand, across mountains and plateaux to the sight of 'The sea! The sea!', and back to the fringes of the Greek world.

A brilliant new account of the world's very first clash of civilisations between the Persians and the Greeks in 480BC.

An epic heroic novel, set in Ancient Greece, and based on the true story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. This is the story of Xeones, the only survivor of 300 Spartan warriors ordered to delay for as long as possible the million-strong invading army of King Xerxes of Persia.

Tells the story of the climactic last seven years of Alexander the Great's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. The relationship between the beautiful young eunuch and the great general's sustains Alexander as he survives assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.

Vidal's historical novel set in the 5th century BC and narrated by Cyrus Spitama, son of a Persian prince and Greek sorceress, grandson of the prophet Zoroaster, and ambassador to the courts of India, China and Greece. Pericles, Thucydides, Sophocles and Confucius are among the book's characters.

Originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan in the 10th century, Shahnameh is one of the most important pieces of Persian literature. This narrative tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. It combines prose and verse.

Thirteenth-century Persian philosopher, mystic, scholar and founder of the order of the Whirling Dervishes, Jelaluddin Rumi was also a poet of transcendental power. His inspirational verse speaks with the universal voice of the human soul and brims with exuberant energy and passion.

Tells the story of Marjane Satrapi's life in Tehran from the ages of six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. This title paints a portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life.

In 1933, Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana - the country of the Oxus, the ancient name for the river Amu Darya which forms part of the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Here he recounts his adventures.

Tells a story of war and defiance. Featuring the watercolor talents of painter Lynn Varley, this title marks the first collaboration for these two creators since 1990's Elektra Lives Again . The five-part series is collected into a 88-page hardcover volume, with each two-page spread from the comic presented as it was originally intended.

An impressively accessible narrative depicting the three-day battle for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates)--a critical contest in Xerxes's massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 B. C. has been hailed ever since as an outstanding example of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.

Accused of mocking the inviolate codes of Islam, Persian poet Omar Khayyam fortuitously finds sympathy with the very man who is to judge his alledged crime. He is spared, and thus begins the blend of fact and fiction that is 'Samarkand'.

Esther's story is one of the most dramatic in the Bible: a renowned beauty, she used her feminine wiles to capture the heart of a king and so win the deliverance of her people from the threat of death. This title shows how this young girl came to be in the harem of King Xerxes and her path to womanhood enabled her to save a nation and find peace.

The tales told by Shahrazad over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahriyar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. This title provides tales that range from the epic adventures of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp to the farcical Young Woman and her Five Lovers .

Anahita has always been headstrong and independent. When her parents try to make a marriage match between her and her tribe's khan (a type of inter-tribe leader), Anahita rebels. She will gladly marry, she says, but only to the man who can solve the riddle she weaves into her wedding carpet.

Sattareh Farman Farmaian, daughter of an Iranian prince, was raised and educated in the 1920s and 1930s in Persia. As a young woman, she broke with Muslim tradition and travelled to America. Here, she provides a view of Iran's journey through the 20th century and of the events which led up to, and followed, the Islamic revolution.