'Abbas Amanat is among the brightest stars in the firmament of historians who have treated Shiite millenarian movements in depth. He always avoids the easy temptation to dismiss them as outbursts of irrational fanaticism, instead patiently tracing their roots in social discontent and teasing out the significance of their often recondite writings. Any historian can mine the British archives for imperial reactions to such popular manifestations. But Amanat is among the few with the linguistic and historiographic skills to be able to offer us the inside story, full of drama, texture and immense local significance. Those who wish to understand the Iranian Shiite tradition must come to terms with this essential aspect of it. No better guide than the magisterial Amanat could be found.' - Juan R I Cole, Richard P Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan.