Omar Khayyam's Secret

""... a masterpiece in Omar Khayyam studies ..."" -- Jafar Aghayani Chavoshi (Ph.D., University of Paris, 1997), Professor of Philosophy of Science at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, specializing in Philosophy, Epistemology, and History of Mathematics and Science, and in Omar Khayyam Studies; From his Foreword to the last book of the Omar Khayyam's Secret series ""Tamdgidi, having taken his readers through the first eleven books of his Omar Khayyam's Secret series, in book twelve -- consistent with good teaching -- offers an overview of what had already been covered by the series, as he does in each of its successive books. He does more. He discusses the scientific requirements for the study of Khayyam's biography; and then, he proceeds to depict the new findings of the series that make possible 'a textually and historically more reliable biography for Khayyam.' Both, with distinction, he has achieved. ... The series is a most admirable example of teaching at its best. Tamdgidi is but an expert guide in a journey of joint learning and teaching; nowhere, except in the concluding book, including his notes on the biography of Omar Khayyam, is it conclusory. He patiently anticipates and works with the reader to grapple with issues, so there are common discoveries. At times, he and his readers are detectives, with moments of sudden insights, realizations, and inspiration. Indeed, for this reader, who was exposed at an early age to Khayyam, through the work of Edward FitzGerald, encountering this series was like the astronauts who experienced seeing the Earth for the first time from outer space. It was nothing I could have imagined, from prior experience. ... Every college library should at least secure a copy of the last synoptic volume of the series; and every research library should have the entire series as one of its prized acquisitions and holdings. ... The claim or assertion respecting the likely longevity of the series and its importance to libraries (and, by implication, scholars) is not made lightly, and it is in no way an exaggeration. A study of its methodology, its findings, the significance of those findings for the universe of learning, of the skills, dedication, and sacrifices the author brought to bear on the work, and of the approach observed to help readers grapple with and understand what is being disclosed, attests a rich body of corroborating testimony to the assertion."" -- Winston E. Langley, Professor Emeritus of Political Science & International Relations, Senior Fellow at the McCormack Graduate School for Policy & Global Studies, and a former Provost (2008-2017) of the University of Massachusetts Boston; From his Foreword to the last book of the Omar Khayyam's Secret series