Egypt
If you have an Egyptophile on your gift list and you do not know what to get them here are 5 books well worth reading.
1. The Secret of the Great Pyramid by Bob Brier and Jean-Pierre Houdin
Though more than 4500 years old the authors convincingly read the intentions of the pyramids architect Hemiunu making the theory on its building a real possibility.
No doubt this story will have legs for years to come hopefully someday real proof will prove whether the theory was right or not but for now this book is an excellent read on the building of the great pyramid.
2. The Complete Valley of Kings by Nicholas Reeves and Richard H. Wilkinson
The facts of the book are excellent and there are many images I have not seen before including the objects from the foundation deposits in front of the tomb of Amenhotep III.
I thought the book was a delight of details of importance to the average reader like myself who loves everything I can find on the valley of Kings and will be referencing its many charts and details for years to come.
3. The Royal Tombs of Egypt by Zahi Hawass
This is certainly the most beautiful of books on my list but it is a large and heavy coffee table book making it difficult to read. Dr. Hawass places very helpful descriptions of the texts that of the "Amduat" and "the book of gates" as well as other sacred books which were drawn on the walls of the kings tombs from the valley of kings.
The price tag, the size and the subject matter make this excellent book much more appealing to a mature reader than a younger one. I will happily now use this lovely book for years to come as solid reference material.
4. Ancient Lives by John Romer
This book is written from the thousands of unique documents that survive from the ancient community of Deir El Medinah, the builders of the tombs in the Valley of Kings. The story is crafted to reveal a community of privilege who's members are at once orderly and human, highly respected and high spirited.
Truly "Ancient lives" is John Romer's masterpiece and one of the finest compositions I have read.
5. The Search for Nefertiti by Joann Fletcher
Ms. Fletcher's charms are apparent right from the start of this 380 page book and it is not long before the book heats up and starts becoming fascinating. The authors knowledge on mummies is well justified from her research and intelligent view.
Whether the mummy in question is Nefertiti is still up to dispute but the book itself is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Egyptology or mummies.
- Ten Books +1 For Summer Or Winter Days
As usual I find myself in the middle of a hot summer with little energy to do much except read and would suggest these eleven books are likely to not only pass time but to inspire the thoughts of the reader back into days of drifting sand and elegance...
- 100 Hieroglyphs: Think Like An Egyptian
Barry Kemp Granta Books London 2005 ISBN: 1 86207 658 8 This book is based on 100 hieroglyphs that will help one think like an ancient Egyptian The concept of the book interests me very much and is filled with plenty of literary citations from Pharaonic...
- Valley Of The Kings: The Tombs And The Funerary Temples Of Thebes West
Kent Weeks VMB Publishers Italy 2008 ISBN: 978-88-540-0976-9 This book edited by Kent R. Weeks and with photographs by Araldo De Luca has 14 contributors who represent a who's who of Egyptology so much is expected from it. Right off the start the...
- The Search For Nefertiti
Joann Fletcher Hodder & Stoughton 2004 London ISBN 0 340 83304 1 This book and television show caused quite a scandal five years ago when Egypt's antiquities Majordomo Dr. Zahi Hawass felt that Ms. Joanne Fletcher had deceived him in drawing conclusions...
- The Splendour That Was Egypt
Margaret A. Murray Sidgwick; Jackson London 1977 Reprint ISBN: 0 283 97892 9 This sixty year old book is hopefully just what I needed to forget the last book I read, though the chronology is off with dates of the Middle Kingdom as an example being more...
Egypt
Five Books That Will Make Great Gifts
If you have an Egyptophile on your gift list and you do not know what to get them here are 5 books well worth reading.
1. The Secret of the Great Pyramid by Bob Brier and Jean-Pierre Houdin
Though more than 4500 years old the authors convincingly read the intentions of the pyramids architect Hemiunu making the theory on its building a real possibility.
No doubt this story will have legs for years to come hopefully someday real proof will prove whether the theory was right or not but for now this book is an excellent read on the building of the great pyramid.
2. The Complete Valley of Kings by Nicholas Reeves and Richard H. Wilkinson
The facts of the book are excellent and there are many images I have not seen before including the objects from the foundation deposits in front of the tomb of Amenhotep III.
I thought the book was a delight of details of importance to the average reader like myself who loves everything I can find on the valley of Kings and will be referencing its many charts and details for years to come.
3. The Royal Tombs of Egypt by Zahi Hawass
This is certainly the most beautiful of books on my list but it is a large and heavy coffee table book making it difficult to read. Dr. Hawass places very helpful descriptions of the texts that of the "Amduat" and "the book of gates" as well as other sacred books which were drawn on the walls of the kings tombs from the valley of kings.
The price tag, the size and the subject matter make this excellent book much more appealing to a mature reader than a younger one. I will happily now use this lovely book for years to come as solid reference material.
4. Ancient Lives by John Romer
This book is written from the thousands of unique documents that survive from the ancient community of Deir El Medinah, the builders of the tombs in the Valley of Kings. The story is crafted to reveal a community of privilege who's members are at once orderly and human, highly respected and high spirited.
Truly "Ancient lives" is John Romer's masterpiece and one of the finest compositions I have read.
5. The Search for Nefertiti by Joann Fletcher
Ms. Fletcher's charms are apparent right from the start of this 380 page book and it is not long before the book heats up and starts becoming fascinating. The authors knowledge on mummies is well justified from her research and intelligent view.
Whether the mummy in question is Nefertiti is still up to dispute but the book itself is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Egyptology or mummies.
- Ten Books +1 For Summer Or Winter Days
As usual I find myself in the middle of a hot summer with little energy to do much except read and would suggest these eleven books are likely to not only pass time but to inspire the thoughts of the reader back into days of drifting sand and elegance...
- 100 Hieroglyphs: Think Like An Egyptian
Barry Kemp Granta Books London 2005 ISBN: 1 86207 658 8 This book is based on 100 hieroglyphs that will help one think like an ancient Egyptian The concept of the book interests me very much and is filled with plenty of literary citations from Pharaonic...
- Valley Of The Kings: The Tombs And The Funerary Temples Of Thebes West
Kent Weeks VMB Publishers Italy 2008 ISBN: 978-88-540-0976-9 This book edited by Kent R. Weeks and with photographs by Araldo De Luca has 14 contributors who represent a who's who of Egyptology so much is expected from it. Right off the start the...
- The Search For Nefertiti
Joann Fletcher Hodder & Stoughton 2004 London ISBN 0 340 83304 1 This book and television show caused quite a scandal five years ago when Egypt's antiquities Majordomo Dr. Zahi Hawass felt that Ms. Joanne Fletcher had deceived him in drawing conclusions...
- The Splendour That Was Egypt
Margaret A. Murray Sidgwick; Jackson London 1977 Reprint ISBN: 0 283 97892 9 This sixty year old book is hopefully just what I needed to forget the last book I read, though the chronology is off with dates of the Middle Kingdom as an example being more...