This very readable and useful account of the travails of the Shi'ah begins with the martyrdom of al-Husayn in 680 and advances to the 11th Imam, with the 12th's fate being uncertain. The work is divided into five parts. The first recounts the life and fate of the 12 Imams, including the one in occultation. Part 2 details the lamentations, flagellations, processions, and passion plays associated with the death of Husayn, including the accounts of the earliest Western travelers and their observations. Part 3 focuses on what is termed "The Islam of the Mullahs," who purportedly serve as representatives and spokesmen of the hidden Imam; it includes their formulation of Shi'i law and how they related to the established government. The fourth part deals with the revolutionary ideology of the ayatollahs toward the outside world, focusing on Khomeini's role and on Qom as the center of their authority as mujtahids. The last part treats the Shi'ah outside Iran, including Iraq, the Indian subcontinent, and Lebanon. This all-encompassing short history is illustrated with some print reproductions of Shi'ite rituals. Short bibliography. A concise, timely work that should appeal to those who have no prior knowledge of Shi'ism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Two-year Technical Program Students; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by C. E. Farah. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.