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Tahir Shah
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A Son of a Son: Volume I Paperback – June 3, 2021

by Tahir Shah (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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In 1918, Tahir Shah's grandfather, The Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah, published the small volume of 'poetry in prose' – Eastern Moonbeams. The book marked not only the beginning of a glittering literary career, but the start of something far greater.

In the century since The Sirdar's first publication, three generations of the same family have released hundreds of books – the bulk of them bridging West with East.

A Son of a Son comprises a selection of passages from the work of a grandfather, a father, and a son, written over a span of a hundred and one years.

Drawing on shared interests and inspirations, this extraordinary treasury encompasses literature, travel, philosophy, psychology, belle-lettres, and folklore.

As Tahir Shah says in his Foreword:

'We are merely the newest branches of a tree, the roots of which stretch downward deep into the soil. As I sit here, writing books and thinking about the world, every word I type is connected to every word uttered by my father, my grandfather, and by the generations who came before us.'

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    A Son of a Son
  2. Print length
    537 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 3, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.35 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1912383810
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1912383818
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Secretum Mundi Ltd
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 3, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 537 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1912383810
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912383818
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.49 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.35 x 8.5 inches
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ A Son of a Son
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Tahir Shah

Tahir Shah

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Tahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell, was also brought up.

Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.

Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.

After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.

In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, THE CALIPH'S HOUSE.

In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Professor Erwin Cloud Soup
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    You'd be silly to not get this book. Tahir Shah does it right.
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  • Chris Petrakos
    5.0 out of 5 stars A joyous anthology
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    “If the son cannot, the father will finish the task.” This Persian saying provides the framework for Tahir Shah’s beautiful and entertaining anthology of his family’s literary tradition. Subtitled “A Century of Collected Work”, the book includes writings of Tahir, of his father, Idries Shah, and of Tahir’s grandfather, The Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah. In his introduction, Tahir speaks movingly of the tradition of writing that he inherited. But as one reads through the book what shines out is the incredible breadth of storytelling that all three possess. And the structure is easy to absorb: a rotating series of excerpts from each writer’s substantial body of work.

    Certainly, Tahir’s books are well known; and his father’s books on Sufism have gone a long way in giving readers a new and important understanding of spirituality. But nearly all of his grandfather’s books have been out-of-print and difficult to get for a long time. And what a shame, because the excerpts that are published here will make readers hungry for more about him. The phrase “citizen of the world” is one that gets tossed around a fair amount but it’s probably the best description of all three of these writers. (And just a side note: Tahir’s sister, Saira, his grandmother, Morag Murray Abdullah, and his aunt, Amina, are all strong, compelling writers.) Anthologies are often difficult to compile; they can be either too tightly focused or wander off in too many directions. With “A Son of a Son, Tahir Shah has overcome that difficulty with a book of writings that both educates and entertains. You can open it at any page and be amazed at the larger world of experiences that it conveys.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Clarke Crutchfield
    5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking insights and rollicking good fun
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021
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    This is a superb anthology of short excerpted works by Tahir Shah and his father and grandfather -- all internationally influential authors. Pieces include reflections on the divide between East and West (and the joyous synergies that also bind them), essays on the Mideast based on personal experience (the founder of Saudi Arabia, for example, was a family friend). There are real-life accounts of travel to exotic places (King Solomon's mines, anyone?) and rollicking fiction full of magic and harrowing adventures. This paperback volume is beautifully printed, a pleasure to hold and to read. It's fun to make random cuts through this and the equally engrossing second volume. Open them anywhere, and you'll strike gold.
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  • Tameron
    5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this book down
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022
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    Couldn't put this book down. I loved it and am now on to volume 2. I wish I had a dad and grandpa like Tahir's. He's a lucky guy.
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  • Ulrika Eriksson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quite jaw-dropping bibliographies.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
    A SON OF A SON VOLUME I AND II by Tahir Shah
    Want something jaw-dropping? Read the father's, son's and grandson's bibliographies at the beginning and end of the volumes, respectively.
    These two tomes with around 500 pages each I highly recommend
    They contain three generations of storytelling: grandfather Sirdar Akbar Ali Shah's and father Idries Shah's texts, as well as Tahir's own. The three authors are presented with a short biography at the beginning of both volumes and then their texts roll on in a delightful mix. You can read about Sirdar's travels and exciting life, Afghan anthropology, Sufism, a tribute to One Thousand and One Nights, about teaching stories as hope for humanity and much more.

    Tahir is one of my absolute favorite authors, I love his breadth, depth, boundless imagination, humor, attention to detail and his casual and unpretentious style.

    His father, Idries Shah, guide through life for me and thousands of others did not have the same imaginative gift but his books serve as an eye opener to another dimension of existence.

    Grandfather Sirdar Akbar Ali Shah in his style of writing is very reminiscent of Tahir and I look forward to reading more of his prolific output, some of which was as exciting as a James Bond novel.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Andrew Boden
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fathers and Sons—A Rich, Poignant Collection
    Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    What I so admire about this rich collection of work from Tahir Shah's grandfather, father and himself is the thread of lucidity that runs through each of their pieces. Each poignant entry reveals, whether it's the Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah's harrowing confrontation with bandits in the desert or Idries Shah's beautifully-rendered Nasrudin tales or Tahir Shah's adventures in the Amazon, a subtle resonance between the works. While each writer has their own distinct voice, there is a critical similarity of approach and sensibility—a harmony between works that, I think, can only be felt reading each piece together in a volume such as this one. It's a remarkable collection showcasing the writing of a remarkable trio of "sons" across a century. Highly recommended, very much looking forward to volume 2.
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  • Christiane Gutbrod
    5.0 out of 5 stars Answers we would not have expected
    Reviewed in Italy on July 23, 2022
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    An incredible impact of different worlds - yet sharing the same aims: to widen our horizon. A red thread throughout the book - for us to discover.
    A form of travelling the world horizontally - and vertically through time. And of course with Tahir Shah a journey inwards.
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