The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran by Roy Mottahedeh is a great read. It’s not just a straight history book but a fascinating personal narrative that thoroughly covers the political and cultural landscape of Iran. I had studied the Islamic Revolution before reading the book but even so I felt like a gained a greater understanding of the history and the social factors contributing to it. I don’t know if this is in all copies but the one I read also had a timeline spanning the revolution to the present day.

Not a traditional history book but Shah of Shahs by Rzyard Kapuscinski is amazing. It's more journalism from a man trapped in his hotel room at the very beginning of the revolution and explains the causes and paints a very detailed picture usimg the items in his hotel room as memory triggers.