Observations concerning the Tohfat al-Moluk and its second edition

Tohfat al-Moluk (The Gift for Sovereigns) by Ali b. Abi Hafs b. Faqih Mahmood of Esfahan, is a treatise on the conduct of the kings, which was written in the 6th or early 7th A.H. /12th or 13th century. This treatise, re-edited by Ali Akbar Ahmadi Dārāni, was published in 1382 Sh./2003. In the present article, we have addressed some of the important aspects of this book, including its coverage of several verses of Rudaki and Abu Shakur-e Balkhi, and have shown some of the sentences and verses whose content can be regarded as the background for some of Sa’di’s words in The Golestan and Bustan. Then, we have pointed out instances of errors that have occurred in the editing of the text of The Tohfat al-Moluk.