A rare textbook for students of Persian. It was specifically intended for members of the Indian government, so they could learn to understand the locals. These locals would have been the ethnoreligious group known as the Parsis, the descendants of Iranians who emigrated to India and still speak Persian. Although the community is relatively small now, there was a significant number of Parsis at the beginning of the 20th century, especially around Mumbai. As such, it would indeed have been practical for government officials to be familiar with the language.
This textbook consists of two different Persian texts: the vazir of Lankuran, which is an important play, and excerpts from the diary of Naser al-Din Shah (1831-1896). In the back, a short explanation about the goals of the textbook can be found. According to this explanation, these particular texts have been chosen because they contain many phrases and expressions that are useful in daily life.
With an owner's inscription on the back board and annotations in the margins of pages 6 and 7. The spine and edges of the boards are slightly scuffed and the boards slightly browned. The first blank flyleaf has a large tear in the fore-edge margin, the bottom support thread has broken, thus weakening the binding, without any loss. Otherwise in good condition.