Yesterdays in Persia and Kurdistan is the autobiography of Frederick G. Coan and his wife, Ida Speer Coan. Coan is another example of an American born in Urmia of missionary parents who returned to Persia to take up mission work among the Assyrians. Unlike some other American mission writers, Coan is an excellent observer and relates many stories focusing on the life and customs of the Assyrians as they lived before World War I. He displays a rare sense of humor concerning others, as well as himself. His coverage of the tragic events beginning in 1915 is admittedly not as detailed as those of others, but it remains an important addition to those that have come down to us.