ISMAILISME BOOK REVIEWS
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The Aga Khan and His Ancestors

A biographical and Historical Sketch. By Naoroji M. Dumasia Bombay, The Times of India Press. Pp338, with appendices pp341-370.

This work by a Parsi admirer is his tribute to the "forceful charm with which His Highness the Aga Khan makes Indians sink their differences in the service of their country." It is dedicated to His Highness the Maharan of Mewar, and has a foreword by the Maharaja of Bikaner. Throughout the volume the reader feels that the author has been captivated by the personality of his subject.

It is disappointing not to find a fuller account of the ancestors of the Agha Khan. Only one brief chapter is given to the whole line of ancestry up to the first Agha Khan, grandfather of the present Agha Khan, who entered India from Persia just under one hundred years ago. Three chapters record the changing fortunes of His Highness Agha Husain Ali Shah, Agha Khan I, for his was a dynamic life. Then follows one chapter, in some respects the best, given to the second Agha Khan and Lady Ali Shah. The remaining eighteen chapters set before us in sharp relief the many facets of the very active life of the present Agha Khan, His Highness Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Agha Khan III. His life has been crowned with honors in many countries and in many fields of effort, and continues in active touch with a large range of national and international movements.

Brief, but frequent, reference is made to the widely scattered followers of this religious leader, yet such references are of secondary importance in this work. Even so, they reveal the veneration and affection that the Khojahs have for their revered leader. The main purpose of the book would seem to be to present the Agha Khan as the statesman-leader of the whole Moslem community in India, and to this end numerous and often lengthy quotations from the writings of the Agha Khan himself are used. These reveal wide range of interests, a high degree of courage and the foresight of good leadership. This book is well illustrated with pictures of the Agha Khans and of all the members of the present family.

JOHN N. HOLLISTER.