"Until recently the Ismaʻilis were judged almost exclusively on the basis of the hostile accounts of their Muslim enemies and the fanciful tales of the Crusaders. As a result, numerous misconceptions were disseminated about the teachings and practices of the Ismaʻilis, known in European tradition as the Assassins. In the 1930s, however, authentic Ismaʻili texts began to be recovered from private collections which shed new light on mediaeval Ismaʻili history and thought. This collective volume, the first major effort of its kind in this branch of Islamic studies, brings together some of the original results of modern scholarship in the area, written by leading contemporary authorities, as well as distinguished Islamists."