For those who are not familiar with Persian, it helps to understand that Persian went through Old -> Middle -> New transition long before English did. While a 10th century English text, e.g. Beowulf, is completely foreign to a modern English reader, a 10th century or newer Persian text is accessible to modern Persian readers. These are not ancient books only academics can understand and care about. You can find copies of Shahnameh and Hafez in many Iranian households, but some of the lesser-known ones are indeed rare.
For those who are not familiar with Persian, it helps to understand that Persian went through Old -> Middle -> New transition long before English did. While a 10th century English text, e.g. Beowulf, is completely foreign to a modern English reader, a 10th century or newer Persian text is accessible to modern Persian readers. These are not ancient books only academics can understand and care about. You can find copies of Shahnameh and Hafez in many Iranian households, but some of the lesser-known ones are indeed rare.