WONDERFUL THINGS 1: A History of Egypt Egyptology

A rare treasure of Egyptology and historiography based on meticulous and often very obscure research and turned into a flowing narrative. It is the first of the best selling three volume survey (and the only one available for Bibliophile) on the history of Egyptology which traces the recovery of ancient Egypt and its impact on the human imagination. It is a saga filled with intriguing mysteries, great discoveries, and scholarly creativity. Chapters include Ancient Egypt in the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Decipherment of Hieroglyphics, Taking Possession of Egypt for the Cause of Science, and Ancient Egypt in 19th century art, photography, and literature. Egyptology has never lacked in headstrong personalities and their mutual interactions are often punctuated by acrimoniously personal and sometimes nationalistically biased exchanges which provide here fascinating reading. For example, a man named François Salvolini is remembered only for plagiarizing Jean-François Champollion's work in the years after Champollion's death, but Thompson argues convincingly that the accusation is false. The book includes a chronological outline and an extensive bibliography. 360 page paperback from the American university in Cairo Press.