The Lion and the Sun demonstrates how environmental history can offer new insights on numerous historiographical debates about Iranian politics, economy, society, and culture. James Gustafson's stories of Iran's rural, pastoral, and urban communities masterfully reveal the complex relationships between people and non-human elements of their environment. A must read.

Mikiya Koyagi, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

This is a beautifully written and pioneering book on the environmental and social history of modern Iran. It offers careful research into neglected ecological crises and places them in the broader field of global environmental history. In the process, the author sheds light on many fascinating dimensions of this period that are essential for a proper understanding of the political and economic transformations of Iran and the Middle East.

Ranin Kazemi, Associate Professor, San Diego State University, USA