88 MESA BULLETIN 27 1993

coming, however, should not detract from the value and uniqueness of this
reference book. The book will remain a useful handbook for students of Kurdish
studies for many years to come. NADER ENTESSAR
Spring Hill College

The Oral History Collection of the Foundation for Iranian Studies, edited by
GHOLAM REZA AFKHAMI & SEYYED VALI REZA NASR. Foreword by Elizabeth
B. Mason. 215 pages, index, appendices. Bethesda, MD: Foundation for Iranian
Studies, 1991. $25 (Paper)

Oral history as a modern discipline started in the late 1940s with the work of
Allan Nevins of Columbia University. However, the use of oral information in
historiography is much older. Students of ancient and medieval literatures will
agree that much of the pre-modern historiography, starting with Herodotus, is
based on information acquired from "interviewees." In Iran, for instance, the
most significant classical Persian history, namely Tfirikh-i Bayhaqt (10th century
AD), is primarily based on its author's interviews with prominent eyewitnesses
to the events of the Ghaznavid court. This oral historical tradition has always
formed an important aspect of Persian historiography. Therefore, the appearance
of the catalog to The Oral History Collection of the Foundation for Iranian
Studies, on the heels of Habib Ladjevardi's pioneering Reference Guide to the
Iranian Oral History Collection (1987), is a welcome event.
The preparation of the catalog has benefited from the expert advice and
guidance of Professor Elizabeth B. Mason, an acknowledged authority in the
field. Ms. Mahnaz Afkhami, the director of the Foundation's oral history
program, provides a concise account of the genesis and the evolution of the
program. The method of collection is that adopted by the oldest and most
prestigious American oral history program, namely that of Columbia University.
The 118-page catalog provides relevant information about both the interviewees
and about the interviews (e.g., language of the interview, date, place, number of
pages, etc.). Six alphabetized appendices follow the text of the catalog listing:
(I) interviewees, (II) their occupation and status, (III) the major areas of concen-
tration in the interviews, (IV) those who have contributed to the oral history
program between 1981-91, (V) the language of the interview and (VI) rules for
the use or citation of the material kept in the archives. There is also a name
index, followed by a subject index.
The publication of this volume has provided the scholarly community with
a valuable research tool for the study of modern Iranian history and especially the
role of the elite in Iran. It is another welcome effort to rescue modern Persian
historiography from the tyranny of the written documents.
MAHMOUD OMIDSALAR
UCLA