Missionary Life in the Middle East: Yesterday in Persia and Kurdistan depicts the life of the missionary in the Middle East during the nineteenth century. The book begins with a history of Persia and its topography and character. Then the author gives a travelogue of his journeys in the Middle East, describing aspects of daily life. The modern Assyrians and Kurds get a prominent place in the book. The author describes places in modern Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

Frederick G. Coan, the son of American missionaries who worked in Urmia, Iran, in the nineteenth century, grew up in that part of the world. After completing his education in America, he returned to the Middle East and worked among the Assyrians there.