The oldest Zoroastrian religious scripture, handed down from ancient times, is the Avesta. One section of the holy book is known as the "Khordeh Avesta" or "Smaller (i.e. Selected) Avesta." This is the book of daily prayers of the Zoroastrians, including the most sacred prayers or manthras, as well as graces said over meals and other occasions, blessings, and hymns to spiritual beings. It is a cherished possession of every devout Zoroastrian household. Zoroastrians recite their prayers in a sacred language known as Avestan. The celebrated Avesta scholar and priest (Ervad) Kavasji Edulji Kanga prepared an edition of this prayer book in 1880 A.D., with Gujarati translation. An English edition was first printed in 1993, which has become very scarce. Due to the popularity of Kanga's editions, and the accuracy of its pronunciation, this new printed edition was prepared, correcting the frequent printer's errors found in the 1993 edition.

The Avesta is a collection of liturgical texts considered as their sacred book by the Zoroastrian community. It contains the recitatives of the Zoroastrian liturgies still celebrated in the 17th century, some of them even celebrated until today. The texts integrated in these ceremonies were composed in different places and at different times, and transmitted orally for centuries. The exact date of the fixation of the ceremonies in the shape in which they are presented in the manuscripts and the creation of the different manuscripts is unknown. But today it is proven that even after the creation of the first manuscripts, the transmission of these liturgical texts was the result of a complicated process in which not only the process of copying manuscripts but also the ritual practice and the ritual teaching were involved. The only deep analysis of the written transmission of the Avesta was made by K. F. Geldner as Prolegomena to his edition of the Avesta. Since then, many new manuscripts have appeared. In Poets, Priests, Scribes and Librarians contributions by the main experts in the transmission of the Avesta are gathered: the oral transmission, the fixation of the different collections, the first writing down, and the manuscripts. Special interest is devoted to the manuscripts. Some contributions of the volume were presented at the correspondent colloquium held in Salamanca, September 2009; others were added in order to make of the volume a comprehensive work on the different aspects of the Avestan transmission.

The goal of this book is to attempt to begin a discussion and a movement to reform the conception of disability through language. We always try to tackle the barriers persons with disabilities have in society from a sociological or administrative perspective, and take the conception of disability as a given. It is time to take one step back and reform the ideology at the root of it. This book takes you through the philosophical history of how this present day ideology arose, its implications, why and how to reform it, the effects of the change, while also recognizing potential challenges in this pursuit. This book utilizes theories from Plato and Hegel, among many other prominent philosophers, while at the same time looks at the construction of language and words in both English and other languages to develop the premise that disability is an internationally misconstrued term. “Disability” in and of itself is a limiting conception, and we must liberate the potential with the “Diffability” movement. It is not that one cannot do something, but rather that it is done differently. It is a must read for anyone interested in disability issues, philosophy, and of linguistics and psychology. I invite you to read and to participate in the discussion.