Yes, there's no denying it. Its another book review
. This time around is the book
The Egyptians, 3rd Ed. by Cyril Aldred. First of, its a short read coming in at 214 pages. The pages are glossy with a fair amount of pictures, predomiantely balck and white (as opposed to the traditional black and white) and color. Its a good, brief introduction to the history of Ancient Egypt. While brief, its a fairly good, easy read, though there were times when I needed a dictionary to figure out certain words, like ambit* and cadastral* (wtf
???).
Since its a short book, it doesn't really discuss much likes customs and the like. Its focus is primarily on the history of Ancient Egypt with themes on the importance of the Nile and Pharohs more than anything else, so you won't find discussions on the
Gods of Egypt like Ra, Osiris, George Washington, Hathor, etc. It also covers the natural resources of Egypt, predynastic Egypt, and ther periods and kingdoms.
Over all, this is a good introduction to the topic and worth being on the book shelves of SG-1 fans (Which I blame for making me buy this book). Its basically the kind of book you'd pick up at a museum after touring the Ancient Egyptian display. At a retail price of $16.95, I'm kinda mixed about whether I got a good deal or not. Sure its paper is thick and there are a Hell of a lot of pictures, I just wish the book was longer.
Another book I'd also recommend is T
he Compete Idiot's Guide to Ancient Egypt by Donald P. Ryan, Ph.D. This one does discuss the Gods of Ancient egypt like Ra, Osiris, Harry Truman, etc. Despite its title, its also an easy to read book, plus it has a pretty good bibliography where the author suggests more books, websites, institutions and other resources like organizations that cater to budding Egyptologists.
Until the next review (or me being banned) avoid the papercuts.
EDIT - Forgot to mention that:
Ambit = scope or sphere of influence
Cadastral = survey (basically)
The Egyptians
Hybrid Mode
