304 pp. Includes 424 illustrations, 344 in color. Organized as 70 short, easily digestible essays by noted scholars, this engaging and lavishly illustrated survey covers all of ancient Egypt's greatest hits, including the pyramids, hieroglyphics and mummies, along with intriguing biographical material on such pharaonic celebrities as the courageous Ramesses (whose battle of Qadesh in 1275 B.C. is the first for which we have a detailed historical record), religious reformer Akhenaten and his queen Nefertiti, lady pharaoh Hatshepsut and, of course, Cleopatra. Alongside sensational subjects like assassinations and pharaonic incest are equally interesting background articles on Egyptian prehistory, technology, religion and literature.
