Here is a book from one of the foremost Bahá'í authors and translators, which is laden with the delightful, witty, profound, heart-searching distillation of a lifetime's dedication to one overmastering theme: the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. 'What is it', she asks, 'that people have found in the Cause of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, from its birth until this hour? Why have they offered themselves either to live or die for it?' They are timely questions indeed, as the attention of the world is drawn to the tragic plight of the Bahá'ís of Irán.

Her own destiny has been a less violent one. She has travelled for the sake of her Faith in many countries, and has worked for it unflaggingly. But her observant humour has never been weighed down, and her book sparkles with amusing incidents described with the lightest of touches.

The author's historical studies and her personal acquaintance with great Bahá'ís are the source of many of the essays, while her own story and that of her family enhance the flavour of this attractive collection.

A Treasure-trove awaits the reader of this book. It ranges from witty observation during two extended periods of residence in Europe and travel in a dozen countries, to reminiscences of great Bahá'ís, portraits of persons drawn from earlier centuries and our own, and memorable essays on the nature of love.

Marzieh Gail's father was the diplomat and scholar Ali-Kuli Khan Nabil, Persia's chief diplomatic representative to the United States during the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson. Born in the United States of an American mother, Marzieh Gail accompanied her parents to various official posts, including Tehran.