The Book of the Book

by Idries Shah

The classical Sufi masters often behaved in dramatic and unexpected ways in marketplaces, palaces, village streets, wherever people assembled. The purpose of these demonstrations was to create an event that people could think about and learn a lesson from. In 1969, Idries Shah, author of over thirty books on Sufi teaching and learning, used modern methods of mass communication to create a teaching-event for the modern world. "The Book of the Book", first published in that year and now in its seventh printing, transmits a 700-year-old narrative on the theme of "do not mistake the container for the content". But it projects this lesson in a highly unconventional way. Reactions to "The Book of the Book" ran the gamut. Some people were infuriated. One "expert" at the British Museum said it was "not a book at all". Others either thought the cover price was too high for a "book that was not a book", or simply bought it for novelty value and kept it on hand to mystify their friends. In time, the pendulum began to swing in the other direction. Readers and reviewers now understand that unlike any other literary product ever published, "The Book of the Book" offers the opportunity to participate in a major Sufi teaching-event ... for the price of a book. Expect the impact of "The Book of the Book" to continue to ripple through the literary marketplace for decades to come.

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Islam, Fiction, Religion

278 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1986

About the author

Idries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.

In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.

Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."

Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim

Reviews

[Mehwish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely surprised when I opened the book, that's all I can say without spoiling the reader's enlightenment process.

The message: 'When you realise the difference between the container and the content, you will have knowledge.'

The container (in the case of this book): Exquisitely bound, a shade of green with gold letters and a gold border.

The content: It feels like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on your head in extreme winter.

The message from the book can be applied to any aspect of life. Be it, the degree you are doing, the books you are reading, the house you are living in, the relationships you have and the list can go on forever.

I will recommend it to anyone who is brave of heart :)

[Robs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shah's demonstration of how our relationships with books can become unbalanced. Bit of a shocker in that it takes an unexpected turn that the reader will always remember.

[Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Atul_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seorang sahabat mencadangkan buku berkenaan. Katanya nipis dan mengandungi hikmah. Benar sekali. Dan buku itu buat saya tak habis fikir🤔. Sekarang ini pun saya masih berfikir... Esok lusa pun mungkin saya akan tetap memikirkannya...

[Atul Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Book of 2019.... Highly recommended
Far Far Far better than Alchemist !!

[Aubrey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking! Some think this Ancient Teaching-Story by Ahmad Yasavi of the Masters of Central Asia is a joke of some kind or a trick. For me it's an experience, an opportunity and a tool. It's a book that can do something, not just say something. You get from it, what you bring to it, and maybe even something more.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One should read this book at least once every week.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read (kinda the point I guess). Excellent message though and truly thought provoking.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for the book:

[Hsueh Po · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the very best books I have ever read. It shook the foundation of my world upon my 2nd reading. I literally lied in my bed, staring at the ceiling, while watching my world whirling by, spiraling into infinity, looking into the hypnotic spirals, directly into the depth of knowledge and human existence. It brought me face-to-face with myself, in life’s naked reality.

I read it in 2007, and in 2020, the impact is still profound.

[Niel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the content magnifies the volume, The Book of the Book is the most magnanimous book known to exist. And review for the book is .....................



















































































...........................................................................
Yasavi bought the book for 12 gold pieces as the lesson equals to his entire possession. I have no gold Mali, accept me entirely instead.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't find this book easy to review. The first time I read it I sped through it in my normal way of coping with the torrent of information that engulfs us. But this is fine wine and needs time to savour.
The text is short but the story constantly reframes itself in a most beguiling manner. What can you say of it that it hasn't already been said?
"They could not imagine a book which could do something, only a book which said something."

I wrote this review about the new paperback edition, but I now have a copy of the new hardback issued by the Idries Shah Foundation. It is a limited edition and is big and beautiful. [...]

[John Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a series of matryoshka dolls, nestled one inside the other, this book is a tale within a tale within a tale - all within a surprise of a book. Its form and content are themselves part of the story, part of those very tales. This book says so much in so little, it is in many ways Shah's work distilled.

[Carol Furpahs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this book. If you have not read about this book, you are exceptionally lucky. If you know about it, buy it, because the experience of having it in hand is the story. At previous homes, I had leaned the book up on my shelves, displaying its cover. I am living in the deep south now and cannot do this. A huge misunderstanding would occur.

[Leonard Robichaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently, when it first came out, it was debated whether this was in fact a book at all! Rest assured, it is indeed a book, and an important one at that. But don't take my word for it, read it and decide for yourself!

[Christiane Gutbrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most precious book I only rediscovered now having had it for more than thirty years on my bookshelf. What a great trap to think 'I already know'... This book helps us to open up a way of understanding extremely important for the world we live in. A great gift.

[' Syamil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku yang ringkas tapi memberi kesan yang mendalam kepada jiwa

[Austin Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

95/100

5 stars - 90/100
4 stars - 80/100
3 stars - 70/100
2 stars - 60/100
1 star - 50/100

[John Zada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a book that some would not define as a book and which transcends book reviews yet is absolutely worthy of book praise - more for what it does rather than what it says.

[Kevan Bowkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps Idries Shah's most outrageous book, this appears to be a book that actually does something, as well as says something. It will likely provoke a memorable reaction in every reader. It's more than worthwhile turning pages right to the very end, and observing one's reaction. Then it can be useful to compare the container with the content. 'When you realise the difference between the container and the content, you will have knowledge.'

[An Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An invaluable lesson disguised as a book... marketing is not product. The surface is the surface, the center is the center, don't forget. How many times can I fall for marketing :)

I love the preface:
A lioness, according to Aesop, was asked by some other animals how many cubs she produced at one birth.
She said:
'One - but that one is a lion.'

[Dan Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This remarkable book challenges our deep-rooted assumptions about what a book should be, illustrates what it can do, and predicts the full range of possible responses by the reader. A worthwhile read if there ever was one.

[Zeeshan Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serves its purpose beautifully!

[Carbis Tribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"They could not imagine a book which could DO something, only a book which SAID something"

[Ali Bhatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't yet have the critical capacity to interpret this very precise tale of a book. A wonderful experience in such a limited piece. Bravo!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like lending people this book and asking what they think.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of the Book is a strange one to read and an even stranger one to review. It bring to mind a quote from elsewhere by Idries Shah that goes: “Why do people always wonder whether books are any good, without wondering whether they are themselves in a state to profit from them?”
I guess one thing to say is, whatever might be your first reaction to The Book of the Book, make sure you read it and digest it a little and you will be in a better place to examine that reaction.
Inside it alludes to itself as a book that does something, rather than merely being a book that says something. I think, for it to do that something, it is probably important to pay as much attention to the unexpected pages as to the more conventional ones.
Whatever you make of it, it is probably safe to say that you won't have another book on your shelves quite like this one.