"Our Hundred Days in Europe" is a travel narrative written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., an American physician, poet, and essayist. Originally published in 1887, the book recounts the author's experiences during his European travels. In "Our Hundred Days in Europe," Holmes shares his observations and reflections on the cultures, landscapes, and people he encounters during his journey. The title refers to the duration of his travels, providing readers with a glimpse into the late 19th-century European experience. Holmes' narrative style is characterized by wit, humor, and keen insights, making the book an engaging account of his exploration. The work is not only a travelogue but also an opportunity for Holmes to share his thoughts on various aspects of European life and society. For those interested in travel literature, historical perspectives on Europe in the late 1800s, and the writings of Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Our Hundred Days in Europe" offers an entertaining and informative narrative.

This book examines Modern Iran through an interdisciplinary analysis of its cultural norms, history and institutional environment. The goal is to underline strengths and weaknesses of Iranian society as a whole, and to illustrate less prescriptive explanations for the way Iran is seen through a lens of persistent collective conduct rather than erratic historical occurrences. Throughout its history, Iran has been subject to many studies, all of which have diagnosed the country’s problem and prescribed solutions based on certain theoretical grounds. This book intends to look inward, seeking cultural explanations for Iran’s perpetual inability to improve its society. The theme in this book is based on the eloquent words of Nasir Khusrau, a great Iranian poet: “az mast ki bar mast”. The words are from a poem describing a self-adoring eagle that sees its life abruptly ended by an arrow winged with its own feathers—the bird is doomed by its own vanity. The closest interpretation of this idiom in Western Christian culture is “you reap what you sow”, which conveys a similar message that underlines one’s responsibility in the sense that, sooner or later, we must face the choices we make. This would enable us to confront – and live up to – what Iran’s history and culture have taught us.

Until recently, the historiography of Middle Eastern economic elites during the first globalization has ignored the significant role played by Muslim tujjār (big merchant-entrepreneurs). Foreign firms and local minorities were considered the prime agents of economic change and the initiators of economic growth. The 12 studies in this volume show that the Muslim tujjār played a major economic role in various regions of the Middle East during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their investments, mainly in commercial agriculture, resulted in economic growth and changed economic structures and social relations in many Middle Eastern communities. They were also involved in political developments, some of which had a dramatic effect on the history of their countries, as for instance in late Qajar Iran. They also played a unique role in the process of cultural change. Although they supported the ʿulamāʾ financially, they also contributed to the establishment of new educational and cultural institutions. The story of the tujjār is unique in the sense that it was the only indigenous elite group in the pre-World War I Middle East to bridge between traditional forces and concepts and Western attitudes and practices. (CS 1108).