Wildfire cuts 'major' world rights deal for The Persians

Wildfire has acquired an authoratative and accessible narrative history, The Persians, by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones in a "major" deal.

The book, described as "a definitive new study of the greatest empire of antiquity", will be written by Llewellyn-Jones who is a professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University and one of the foremost authorities on ancient Persian history, having spent much of his career studying original source material in the Middle East.

It is slated to publish in the UK in hardback, export trade paperback, audio and e-book in 2022. Publishing director Alex Clarke acquired world rights to The Persians through Adam Gauntlett at Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD).

Clarke said: "The Persians is the best kind of historical account—Professor Llewellyn-Jones writes with the perfect balance of authority and accessibility, bringing to life the incredible machinations of the ancient Persian empire, with its magnificent leaders such as Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes. The result is a compelling story of unrivalled power, ambition, betrayal, revenge, and murder."

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones said: "I am delighted to be bringing The Persians to Wildfire and to work with this extraordinary team of talented people. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring ancient Persia into the realm of popular history, to the forefront this extraordinary period, and to put Persia in its rightful place amongst the great civilizations of the past. I’ve been privileged to have worked in Iran for over 20 years; it is a country and a people I love very much and I want readers to understand and experience the richness of its history and its importance to world heritage."

In the US, Brian Distelberg, senior editor at Basic Books, a division of Hachette US, will publish the book. Foreign rights are being handled by Headline’s head of rights, Nathaniel Alcaraz-Stapleton.