Travels in Persia

1927

Special Collections DS257 CF32

London: The Argonaut Press

Persia is the historic region of the Middle East associated with the area that is now modern Iran, the latter a name officially adopted in 1935. The current population is about 81 million; the land area about 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 square miles). It is the second-largest country in the Middle East. The area is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, and its ‘Golden Age’ was in the 10th and 11th centuries, when literature, philosophy, science, medicine, and art blossomed. In 1664, age 21, the Frenchman Jean (John) Chardin (1643–1713) travelled to Persia. It is said that he was an accurate recorder of what he saw and his Travels have stood the test of time. Here is his description of the ‘ill Habit’ of tobacco smoking and the Persian’s use of Callion (pipes). This Argonaut Press edition is a reprint of the two-volume London edition of 1720.