The volume traces Persian literary development from earliest cuneiform tablets and shared Mesopotamian myths through Zoroastrian scripture and its teachings, to the arrival of Islamic scripture and the literary changes that followed. It examines epic and lyrical poetry, major narratives and romances, collections of moral tales and fables, manuscript tradition and art, and critical discussions of language, manuscripts, and religious texts. Organized chronologically into divisions covering mythology, the Zend-Avesta, the Qur'an era, and the post-conquest flowering of Persian verse, it combines historical outline, textual analysis, and summaries of representative works and themes.