'One of the most gripping academic books I have ever read.' James Clackson, Professor of Comparative Philology and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics, University of Cambridge 'Taken as a whole, van Bladel's argument is both original and deserving of careful consideration. It is very well-documented with references to original texts and old and modern scholarship and presented clearly and readably.' Nicholas SimsWilliams, FBA, Emeritus Professor of Iranian and Central Asian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, London 'Without exaggeration a groundbreaking work. It is pioneering in its overall conception as a 'linguistic history', methodologically cutting-edge in its elucidation and adaptation of linguistic theory, and solidly grounded in a deep familiarity with the philology of Iranian languages. I expect that the book will inform new directions of research: not only in the field of Iranian studies, where it should motivate new methodological horizons, but also in the fields of contact linguistics and creole studies, where scholars will now benefit from a rigorous treatment of Persian. There is something stimulating in this book for a variety of specialists, while also being appealing to general audiences, particularly those interested in the history of Persian.' Adam Benkato, Bita Daryabari Professor of Iranian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
