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Oxbow says: The Shahnama or The Book of Kings was one of the greatest epic poems ever written. Completed in AD 1010 by its author Firdausi, it tells the history of mankind from the creation of the world (with Iran at the centre) to the destruction of the Persian Empire by the Muslim Arabs in the 7th century AD. As a history of the kings of Iran, with moral and ethical sentiments, the epic was very popular and copies were frequently commissioned. The manuscript described, discussed and illustrated in this book was commissioned by Ibrahim Sultan in the 15th century and is now part of the Bodleian collection. The book provides the literary context for the poem, the worldly context for its author, looks at the role of patronage, and includes an overview of the story. The stunning manuscript illuminations that accompany the poem are the star of the show and are show here in full colour, along with a discussion of their meaning and the technique of producing them.