King of Kings
The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cornerstone
Publishing:7th Aug '25
£25.00
This title is due to be published on 7th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A spellbinding narrative history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its devastating consequences by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia.
'Authoritative, well-reported and elegantly written... If you want to understand the turmoil in Gaza, Syria and beyond, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is a good place to start.'
The Times
'Excellent' Telegraph
'Brilliant' Financial Times
'Good and worthwhile... From the Middle East to the war in Ukraine, the world is still experiencing the aftershocks of the fall of the shah, and it’s not over yet'
John Simpson, Guardian
'The most compelling account yet of the revolution in Iran... Outstanding'
Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans
'Thrilling... the gold standard account of the Shah’s fall... An epic and heart-breaking tragedy'
Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows
Before the revolution, the Shah of Iran seemed invincible. The world watched in awe as he commanded a huge army and oversaw an economy awash with billions of dollars of oil revenues. The regime’s secret police had crushed communist opposition and the Shah appeared to have bought off the conservative Muslim clergy inside the country. On the international stage, Iran had become an invaluable ally to the West during the Cold War.
But village streets spoke of a different country – people derided the Shah as an American lackey and blamed him for economic inequality, for spending recklessly on lavish parties and for ignoring the Muslim majority. When a volcanic religious revolution erupted, led by a fiery cleric named Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah was forced off the throne and into exile. How did it all go so wrong?
Brilliantly brought to life by the Sunday Times bestselling author Scott Anderson, this gripping behind-the-scenes narrative reveals how the Iranian Revolution was as world-shattering an event as the French and Russian revolutions, and how its repercussions are still felt around the world today. In the Middle East, in India, in Southeast Asia, and now in Europe and the United States, the hatred of economically-marginalized, religiously-fervent masses for a wealthy secular elite has led to violence and upheaval – and Iran was the template.
Authoritative, well-reported and elegantly written... If you want to understand the turmoil in Gaza, Syria and beyond, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is a good place to start. * The Times *
[An] excellent narrative account of the two tumultuous years that resulted in the triumph of Ayatollah Khomeini and the creation of an Islamic republic * Telegraph *
Anderson brilliantly tells this tale of greed, paranoia and hubris... for those seeking to understand the seemingly endless state of conflict between Israel, the US and Iran Anderson’s new book is a good place to start * Financial Times *
Good and worthwhile... From the Middle East to the war in Ukraine, the world is still experiencing the aftershocks of the fall of the shah, and it’s not over yet * John Simpson, Guardian *
Written with a journalist’s instincts and the plotlines of a thriller, King of Kings is the most compelling account yet of the revolution in Iran – an event so significant that it continues to shape world affairs today. An outstanding book * Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans *
Thrilling and fully authoritative...this is the gold standard account of the Shah’s fall, with fresh dramatic tales and arresting details from the last living players. An epic and heart-breaking tragedy * Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows *
King of Kings delivers remarkable new insights into one of history’s least understood upheavals – the Iranian revolution. Rich in detail and gripping portraits of the individuals at the heart of the tragedy, this book gets to the essence of how this unique revolution succeeded — and why it cannot be replicated * Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave *
Anderson uses his incomparable prose to crack open the deep story behind one of the most momentous events of the last decades. An important and riveting book’ * Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm *
This absorbing account of the 1979 Iranian revolution unravels the story of how the nation's seemingly invulnerable leader, Shah Pahlavi, was forced into exile, and the ensuring hostage crisis that rattled American confidence and singed its reputation in the Middle East * New York Times *
Riveting... an illuminating, operatic depiction of the revolution as a farcical cavalcade of arrogant mistakes with dire consequences. * Publishers Weekly *
ISBN: 9781529155266
Dimensions: 240mm x 160mm x 44mm
Weight: 787g
512 pages