The author of these recollections has written, not a biography, but his personal experiences of Shoghi Effendi (1896-1957), who, on the death of his Grandfather, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, found himself Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith.

For thirty-six years, Shoghi Effendi bore the daunting responsibilities of his office, guiding and encouraging the Bahá’ís. During the last nine years of his life, he developed in Haifa and ‘Akká, the spiritual and administrative institutions of the Bahá’í Faith.

Dr Giacery visited Haifa on several occasions during these years and spent a number of months there. The account he gives us of Shoghi Effendi is at first hand. It is a perceptive, affectionate and intimate portrayal of the gallant and self-sacrificing Guardian. And because those who served him so closely were few, these recollections are so precious.