Drawing on the letters of Shoghi Effendi, the Bahá'ís of the time, and the memoirs of Shoghi Effendi's fellow students at Balliol, the author provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Shoghi Effendi while at Balliol, England.

In mid-July 1920 a young Persian man arrived in England from the Holy Land to fulfil a lifelong dream: to perfect his command of the English language that he might be of better service to his beloved grandfather, the head of the Bahá'í Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Shoghi Effendi was admitted to Balliol College at Oxford University, one of the greatest centres of learning in the world. His studies at the University prepared him for his life's work that was bestowed upon him on the passing of his grandfather in November 1921.

Riaz Khadem, himself once a student at Balliol College, traces Shoghi Effendi's educational career from his early youth through his time at Oxford. Drawing on the letters of Shoghi Effendi and Bahá'ís of the time and on the memoirs of Shoghi Effendi's fellow students at Balliol, the author provides a fascinating glimpse into this little known aspect of the life of Shoghi Effendi.