The text is a judicious exposition of the place of the Nizari imamate in the history of Shiism and of the Shia in the general history of Islam. Perhaps the most interesting part covers the Nizari revival, first in Iran and then in the Indian sub-continent under Shah Nizar (1680–1722) and his successors, culminating in the emergence of the Ismailis as a global community. The book is sumptuously, if rather fussily, designed. That, and the fact that the illustrations are often generally rather than specifically relevant to the subject, suggest that they were for a picture-book directed at the Ismaili community, rather than to the non-specialist public, who will, however, find it an informative account of this venerable sect.