Ancient Egypt

There have been so many books published on this subject that the first question most will ask is how this book is different. As well, who is it intended for/will enjoy it the most. Those questions are easily answered: This is a book of photographs that mostly explore the sights/architecture of ancient Egypt; it provides a nice survey course on the topic through the images and accompanying captions.

The book breaks down by the periods of ancient Egypt: from prehistory to the old and new kingdoms to the Greco-Roman period and a bit later. Nearly the whole book is a page with one or more photographs, each with a caption description several sentences long. This means the images are large, often two pages, and you have just enough information to inspire and not be overwhelmed.

I was surprised at the breadth of topics this covers. E.g., the author made a point to discuss nearly every pyramid, many I had not seen before in any book (including ones that were completely gone and just a bit of rubble on the ground. Pyamids, mastabas, temples, and tombs took up the majority of the book. But there were also other interesting places such as the remains of fortresses or buildings that were nearly gone and did not stand the test of time. A few items found in the architecture were also shown, each saying when they were discovered.

What I liked about the book is that it showcased a lot of things I had never seen or thought about - such as the cave paintings or roman forts. There are also images of foreign rulers such as Hittite kings. More obvious topics such as Tutankamum were covered but not given too many pages. But a big chunk of the book was images of the many types of pyramids, all in various states.

It's a book I would love to go over before I actually traveled to Egypt. There were several places I had not heard of or read about (such as the roman fort or various monuments in Alexandria) that I would have wanted to make sure I could visit. The paragraphs that accompanied the images gave just enough information (almost always date and location) to answer the more immediate questions about that image's topic. I was further intrigued by all there is in Egypt to see as a result (beyond Tut's tomb, the great pyramid, and the Cairo museum).

In all, a lovely presentation with good photographs. The information is a survey type, meant to give meaning and a bit of info but of course leaving it open for you to further research what captures your interest. It's a book I will definitely read before a trip to Egypt. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.