Tales of The Dervishes; Teaching-stories of the Sufi Masters over the past thousand years, Idries Shah, 1969

A fascinating book of Sufi teachings told in a collection of stories and fables. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Sufis seek direct personal experience of God and strive for union with Allah. They believe that this can be achieved through various practices, including whirling, chanting, and contemplation. 

Tales of The Dervishes; Teaching-stories of the Sufi Masters over the past thousand years. Selected from the Sufi classics, from oral tradition, from unpublished manuscripts and schools of Sufi teaching in many countries. By Idries Shah.

Published by Jonathan Cape, London. 1969 third impression (first published in 1967).

A near fine blue cloth hardback with its originnal dustjacket. The jacket is very good - intact and not price-clipped. With some wear to extremities and age toning to edge of inner flaps. The jacket is now housed in removable, protective clear plastic.

Text is bright and clean throughout, with just a few light markings to the preliminary pages. First and last free endpapers with printed red Sufi design. Previous owners's inscription to first free endpaper. The book also contains 6 items of loosely inserted correspondence and notes, including engaging 1970 airmail letters from Africa.

Language: English.

222pp.

Dimensions: approximately 222mm high x153mm wide x 22mm deep.

Unpacked weight approximately 477g (unpacked).