RAZMARA, Haj Ali. The Military Geography of the Caspian Sea [in Farsi].

RAZMARA, Haj Ali. The Military Geography of the Caspian Sea [in Farsi]. Tehran: Government Printing House. [1941].

4to. Original red cloth, lettered in gilt, ornamented in blind, wire-stitched; pp. [iv], 54, 31, [3], a few photographic illustrations in the text, four folding lithographic maps in rear pocket; cloth a little rubbed, one map with repaired tears at folds; presentation inscription by the author on front fly-leaf.

Extremely rare first edition, signed presentation copy, of this illustrated Iranian military intelligence handbook on the Caspian Sea, which presents "besides a thorough physical topography, an exhaustive and admirable fund of information on the economic, social and political peculiarities" (M. Reza Ghods, The Rise and Fall of General Razmara, in: Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 29, No.1, Jan., 1993, pp. 22-35).

The historical background is the Second World War, when Iran tried - successfully - to remain neutral. However, there was a real possibility to be sucked into the war or be invaded by the British Empire, German troops, or, despite the non aggression pact signed with Lenin, by the Soviet Union. Razmara (1901-1951) was born in Tehran and studied at the military academy of Saint-Cyr in France and after a successful military career, including head of Military Intelligence and three-times joint Chief-of Staff, he eventually became Prime Minister in 1950. - One map, measuring 110 by 66 cm shows the entire Caspian Sea and surroundings, the others focus on Mazandaran on the south coast and Golistan in the south-east.

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