Sources for studying the life and writings of Abdu'l-Baha:

A topical bibliography

Jonah Winters, compiler

1999

Note: this bibliography has not been updated since 2001.

Jump to:
General overviews of the life, character, or teachings of Abdu'l-Bahá
Outlines and study guides of Abdu'l-Bahá's writings
The early years, 1844-1892
Center of the Covenant, 1892-1910
Travels and talks, 1911-1913
The War and the Tablets of the Divine Plan, 1914-1921
The Will and Testament and the Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá, 1921
Selected Topics
Visual Items

General overviews of the life, character, or teachings of Abdu'l-Bahá

Amin Banani: "The Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 67-74

Anonymous: "Editorial: Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 3-5

Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá: Portrayals East and West," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 29-46, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 194-218, online at bahai-library.com/gail_abdul-baha_portrayals

Jessyca Russell Gaver, "The Center of the Covenant–Abdu'l-Bahá," chapter 4/pages 77-103, in The Bahá'í Faith: Dawn of a New Day (Hawthorne Books, 1967)

Moojan Momen, "Encyclopedia article on Abdu'l-Bahá," online at bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_abdul-baha

Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Bahá," section 3 of Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_world_order_bahaullah

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 240-43, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

George Townshend, "Abdu'l-Bahá: A Study of a Christ-like Character," in The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh (first edition 1952) pages 46-55

George Townshend, "The Letters of Abdu'l-Bahá," in The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh (1952) pages 77-87, online at bahai-library.com/townshend_letters_abdul-baha.

Allan Ward, "Abdu'l-Bahá," in World Order 4:4 (summer 1970), pages 24-31

Lights of Guidance provides a variety of notes on 'Abdu’l-Bahá, 485-89, online at bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance_2&chapter=4.

Outlines and study guides of Abdu'l-Bahá's writings

Secret of Divine Civilization

Roger Coe, "Expanded Outline of The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at bahai-library.com/coe_sdc_outline

Barbara Casterline, "The Education of Nations: A book review of Secret of Divine Civilization," in Bahá'í News September 1972, online at bahai-library.com/casterline_secret_divine_civilizations

Habib Riazati, "The Secret of Divine Civilization study questions," (unpublished), online at bahai-library.com/riazati_sdc_questions

Nader Saiedi, "An Introduction to 'Abdul-Baha's The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at bahai-library.com/saiedi_introduction_sdc

Some Answered Questions

Brett Zamir, Some Answered Questions overview and outline (unpublished), online at bahai-library.com/zamir_saq_outline

Traveler's Narrative

Brett Zamir, Correlation of passages from Traveler's Narrative with God Passes By and the Dawn-Breakers, online at bahai-library.com/zamir_tn_crossreference

The early years, 1844-1892

overviews

Kazem Kazemzadeh and Firuz Kazemzadeh: "Five Books about Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971).

Annamarie Honnold, comp., Vignettes from the Life of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1982)

Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1992), chapter 9/pages 135-140, "The relationship of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá"

early writings

Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and ed. by E.G. Browne, A Traveller's Narrative (Cambridge, 1891), online at bahai-library.com/browne_abdul-baha_travellers_narrative

Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985), online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_kuntu_kanzan_makhfiyyan

historical accounts

Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), , chapter 11: "Abdu'l-Bahá" and "The Bride of Abdu'l-Bahá," pages 80-90 and "Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akka," pages 99-104, online at bahai-library.com/blomfield_chosen_highway

Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 1: "Abdu'l-Bahá in the lifetime of his Father"

Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 1: "The Childhood and Youth of Shoghi Effendi"

David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 7-13/pages 26-76

David S. Ruhe, Robe of Light: The Persian Years of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1994), 57-8, 142-43.

Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, pages 7-13 (section on the Secret of Divine Civilization), online at bahai-library.com/uhj_century_light

Center of the Covenant, 1892-1910

on the Bahá'í community

Gary L. Morrison, "Abdu'l-Bahá and The Early American Bahá'ís," in World Order 6:3 (Spring 1972), pages 31-44.

Peter Smith, "The American Bahá'í Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History vol. 1

Robert Stockman, The Bahá'í Faith in American vol. 1: Origins, 1892-1900 (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985) and The Bahá'í Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995); summarized in "The American Bahá'í Identity 1894-1921," in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin 6:4-7:2 (1992)

on the Center of the Covenant

Bahá'u'lláh, "Kitab-i-Ahd (Book of the Covenant)," in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, pages 219-223, online at bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/tb/13.html

Lowell Johnson, The Eternal Covenant (Bahá'í Publishing Trust of South Africa, 1986

Adib Taherzadeh, "Kitab-i-Aqdas 5: The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh," in Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 3: 1868/77, chapter 18/pages 371-399

Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1992), chapters 10-20/pages 141-244

historical accounts and pilgrims' notes

R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, Music, Devotions, and the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar (Kalimat Press, 1987), pages 11-20 passim, 123-74 passim

Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Bahá'í School Council, 1991), pages 29-46 passim

Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), online at bahai-library.com/blomfield_chosen_highway

Thornton Chase, In Galilee (Kalimat Press, 1985; first published 1908), online at bahai-library.com/chase_galilee_agnew_wonderland

Ella Goodall Cooper and Helen S. Goodall, Daily Lessons received at Akká, January 1908 (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979), online at bahai-library.com/goodall_cooper_daily_lessons.

Marzieh Gail, Summon Up Remembrance (George Ronald, 1987), passim

Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979; first published 1907), online at bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka

Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani, trans. Juan Cole, Letters and Essays 1886-1913 (Kalimat Press, 1985), "On Meeting Abdu'l-Bahá," pages 87-91

May Maxwell, "An Early Pilgrimage" (first published 1917), online at bahai-library.com/maxwell_early_pilgrimage

Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 1-122 passim

Myron H. Phelps, The Master in Akká, originally published as The Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi (Kalimat, 1985)

Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1987), pages 37-92 passim

Nathan Rutstein, He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey (George Ronald, 1982), pages 1-100 passim

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 244-78, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

Robert Stockman, Thornton Chase, the First American Bahá'í (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2001); online at bahai-library.com/stockman_loves_odyssey_chase; see also field notes at bahai-library.com/stockman_chicago_house_notes and bahai-library.com/stockman_chase_notes

Juliet Thompson, "A Glimpse of the Master," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 47-66

Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1909/pages 3-146, online at bahai-library.com/thompson_diary

Roy Wilhelm, Stanwood Cobb, and Genevieve L. Coy, In His Presence: Visits to Abdu'l-Bahá (Kalimat Press, 1989)

O. Z. Whitehead Some Early Bahá’ís of the West (George Ronald, 1976)

Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 28-35 passim

Travels and talks, 1911-1913

overviews

Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá in America," from World Order 10:4 (July 1944), pages 110-119, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 184-193

Allan L. Ward, 239 Days: Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey in America (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979)

Allan L. Ward, "Abdu'l-Bahá: Speaking in America," in World Order 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), pages 38-48

Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani, trans. Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud's Diary: The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey to America (George Ronald, 1998), online at bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary.

on the Bahá'í community

Peter Smith, "The American Bahá'í Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History vol. 1

Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Bahá'í? Concerns of British Bahá'ís 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions vol. 5

specific historical accounts

Elham Afnan, "Abdu'l-Bahá and Ezra Pound's Circle," published in the Journal of Bahá'í Studies 6:2 (June-Sept. 1994)

Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Bahá'í School Council, 1991), pages 47-60 passim

Ramona Allen Brown, Memories of Abdu'l-Bahá (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980); see also review of same by Firuz Kazemzadeh, "Remembering the Master," in World Order 14:3-4 (Spring/Summer 1980), pages 46-48

Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins, Khalil Gibran: Man and Poet (Oneworld, 1998), 125-26 and 252-55, excerpts online at bahai-library.com/bushrui_gibran_man_poet

Marion Carpenter Yazdi, Youth in the Vanguard (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), chapters 2 and 8

Will van den Hoonaard, The Origins of the Bahá’í Faith in Canada, 1898-1948 (), with related material published in World Order, 22.1/2 (Fall 1987 Winter 1987-88), 39-49 and "The Bahá’í Community of Canada: A Case Study in the Transplantation of Non-Western Religious Movements to Western Societies," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 7:3 (March-June 1997), 17-42

Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom (multiple editions; first published 1937), online at bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom

Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991)

Elaine Lacroix-Hopson and Hussain Ahdieh, Abdu'l-Bahá in New York: The City of the Covenant (NewVistaDesign, 1999), excerpted online at bahai-library.com/hopson_abdul-baha_new_york

Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 123-199 passim

Gayle Morrison, To Move the World: Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982, chapter 6, "Abdu'l-Bahá in America"

Agnes Parsons (Richard Hollinger, ed.), Abdu'l-Bahá in America: Agnes Parsons' Diary (Kalimat Press, 1996)

Ahang Rabbani, "Abdu'l-Bahá's Meeting with Two Prominent Iranians," in World Order 30:1 (Fall 1998), 35-46, online at bahai-library.com/qazvini_abdul-baha_prominent_iranians

Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1987), pages 92-109 passim

Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1911-1912/pages 149-395, online at bahai-library.com/thompson_diary

Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 56-69 passim

The War and the Tablets of the Divine Plan, 1914-1921

on the Bahá'í community

Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Bahá'í? Concerns of British Bahá'ís 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions vol. 5

historical accounts

Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), online at bahai-library.com/blomfield_chosen_highway

Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years (George Ronald, 1991), passim

Riaz Khadem, Shoghi Effendi in Oxford and Earlier (George Ronald, 1999), chapters 1-6/pages 1-57

George Orr Latimer, The Light of the World [pilgrimage to Haifa in 1919], first published 1920, online at bahai-library.com/latimer_light_world

Moojan Momen, "Esslemont's Survey of the Bahá'í Community in 1919-1920," serialized in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin in five parts, 1:1 (1982)-3:1 (1984)

David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 24-26/pages 145-155

Bahiyyih Randall Winkler, My Pilgrimage to Haifa, November 1919 (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1941)

Ali M. Yazdi, Blessing Beyond Measure: Recollections of Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988)

The Will and Testament and the Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá, 1921

on the passing of Abdu'l-Bahá

Florian and Grace Krug, "Accounts of the Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá," in World Order 7:2 (winter 1972-73), pages 38-42

Munirih Khanum, trans. Sammireh Anwar Smith, Munirih Khanum: Memoirs and Letters (Kalimat Press, 1986), "Letter of Lament: 1922 [on the anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Bahá]," pages 57-62

Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 2: "The Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá and its Immediate Consequences"

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 309-24, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

Shoghi Effendi and Lady Blomfield, The Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá (originally published Haifa: Rosenfeld Brothers, 1922, later abridged for World Order 6:1 [Fall 1971], pages 6-18), online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_blomfield_passing_abdul-baha

Emogene Hoagg, "Letter from Haifa in the Mourning Time," published in World Order 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), 34-37, online at bahai-library.com/hoagg_letter_time_mourning

on the Will and Testament

David Hofman, A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World vol. IX 1940-44, later reprinted by George Ronald, 1982), online at bahai-library.com/hofman_will_testament_abdul-baha

Ruhiyyih Khanum, 25 Years of the Guardianship, bahai-library.com/khanum_25_years_guardianship

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By pages 325-28, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

Adib Taherzadeh, Child of the Covenant (George Ronald, 2000), chapters 12-26, pages 130-264

Selected Topics

the Station of the Master

Bahá'u'lláh, "Surih-i-Ghusn," published in Bahá'í World Faith (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1966) 204-207, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by">bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by">bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Bahá," section 3 of Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_world_order_bahaullah

Robert Stockman, "Appendix 3: Understanding the Station of Abdu'l-Bahá," in The Bahá'í Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995), pages 405-408.

Adib Taherzadeh, "Suriy-i-Ghusn," in Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 2: 1863-68, chapter 18/pages 388-96

political teachings

Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by E. G. Browne, "Three Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá on Persian politics" from The Persian Revolution of 1905 -1909 (Cambridge, 1910), online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_attitude_persian_politics

Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization passim; Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, 132-33, 283-95, both online at https://bahai-library.com/writings/

Abdu'l-Bahá, "Tablet to the Hague," first 2/3 published in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘, pp. 296-307 and last 1/3 in The Bahá'í Revelation, pp. 208-19; both assembled online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_lawh_hague_anonymous; see discussion in God Passes By page 308, online at bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_god_passes_by

John Huddleston, The Search for a Just Society (George Ronald, 1989), pages 403-20, 454-56

Firuz Kazemzadeh, "The Tablet to the Hague," in World Order 4:2 (Winter 1969-70), pages 4-11

Charles Lerche, ed., Toward the Most Great Justice: Elements of Justice in the New World Order (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1996), passim

philosophy and theology

Abdu'l-Bahá: select any of the following: Tablet to Auguste Forel; Promulgation of Universal Peace, 326-7; Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy (online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_divine_philosophy); Some Answered Questions passim (select any of the main topics covered, e.g. Christian philosophy, the theology of Spirit and the Manifestations, the relationship between God and man, astrology, reincarnation, etc.)

Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985) and online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_kuntu_kanzan_makhfiyyan

B. Hoff Conow, A Resurgent Model of the Universe (George Ronald, 1990)

Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 7: "Theosophy in Scotland," pages 57-61

Julio Savi, The Eternal Quest for God: An Introduction to the Divine Philosophy of `Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1989), online at bahai-library.com/savi_eternal_quest_god

John Paul Vader, For the Good of Mankind: Auguste Forel and the Bahá'í Faith (George Ronald, 1984)

evolution

Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, pages 177-199, online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_some_answered_questions Keven Brown, "Are 'Abdu'l-Bahá's views on evolution original?," in Bahá'í Studies Review 7 (1997), online at bahai-library.com/brown_abdul-bahas_views_evolution

Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Bahá'í Belief: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism (Kalimat Press, 2001), online at bahai-library.com/brown_evolution_bahai_belief.

Anjam Khursheed, Science and Religion (Oneworld, 1987), pages 55-98

Eberhard von Kitzing, "The Origin of Complex Order in Biology: `Abdu'l-Bahá's concept of the originality of species compared to concepts in modern biology," from Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Bahá'í Belief (Kalimat Press, 2001), online at bahai-library.com/brown_evolution_bahai_belief

Craig Loehle, "On Human Origins: A Bahá’í Perspective," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 2.4 (1989-1990); see also his On the Shoulders of Giants, 92-115. Commentary on the article "On Human Origins" by Arash Abizadeh in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 3.1 (1990-1991), and by Iraj Ayman, Susan Brill, M. K. Rohani, and Craig Loehle in Journal of Bahá'í Studies 4:1 (March-June 1991) and 4:3 (1991)

Visual items

Abdu'l-Bahá, with Lua Getsinger and Curtis Kelsey, "Diagram of Explanation of Spiritual Evolution as Taught from the Bahá'í Teachings," online at bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_chart_spiritual_evolution

Abdu'l-Bahá's horoscope (birth chart), online at bahai-library.com/jones_horoscope_abdul-baha

Kahlil Gibran, Portrait of Abdu'l-Bahá, online at bahai-library.com/bushrui_gibran_man_poet

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