i don't have this book yet. i have already told hubby that he's getting it for me for valentines. everytime i go into the bookstore, i take it off the shelf and spend about a half hour just leafing through it and looking at the pictures. if you are not sure whether you want to put out the money to buy this book, do yourself a favor and see if they have a copy at the bookstore and look through it. i know you'll be convinced that it's worth the price. i plan on ordering my book rather than buying it off the shelf. there are several fold out sections in the book and i want to make sure they are in good shape. the pictures of the temples and tombs in the book are great. also lots of maps. i admit, i'm an egyptology geek, but i think anyone who is interested in egypt will enjoy this book. if egypt is a hobby/passion, this book is a must have. i know it's a bit pricey, but you're payig for a book full of fantastic color photographs and you defintiely get what you are playing for. you get your money's worth with this book. my only regret is that i have to wait 6 weeks til i can have my copy in my hot lil' hands. :)

I first saw this book after a four-week trip to Egypt, where our travels included as much as we could see between the relocated monument Ramses II built in honor of himself at Abu Simbel to the vicinity of El-Qahira (Cairo) and its monuments and museums. This book is the one I have chosen to "keep my memories fresh" and share them with others- it is that good, and more. The illustrations are brilliant; the informative text is thorough and illuminating without being pedantic or burying the photos and drawings. I only wish the Cairo Museum had books as good as this one! If you love Egypt, this book will live an active life on your coffee table.

The book contains over 300 magnificent photographs and illustrations of Egypt's monuments, treasures, archaeological discoveries and travelers. The reader will see the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Faiyum, the Sinai, the Strait of Tiran, Nubia, Tanis, Esna, Luxor, Karnak, Philae, Dendera, Abu Simbel, Deir el-Bahri, the Valley of the Queens, Edfu, Kom Ombo and the Valley of the Kings, and will identify Ernesto Schiaparelli, Auguste Mariette, Jean-François Champollion and Howard Carter, among many famous discoverers. A history of this fascinating civilization, from ancient to modern Egypt, is included, as well as reconstructions of tombs, a bibliography and a glossary. For everyone to own.

The author discusses the history from the origins to the Unesco Nubian rescue in 1961. He writes about the various temples in Nubia, including Kalabsha, Beit al-Wali, Dakka, Amada, Derr and Qasr Ibrim. The temples of Ramses II and Nefertari are described in avid detail. Completed by beautiful photographs and useful maps, this is a much needed guide, essential for travelers.

In this little book, the origins of Cairo as a city, its art, its architecture, its museums and monuments are presented. The history of the Fatimids, Mamluks and Ottomans is examined. Mosques, sabils, madrasas and the monuments of al-Ghuri, Khan al-Khalili, the citadel and the nilometer are discussed. Offering a bibliography, a chronological table, wonderful photographs, drawings and maps, this is a useful overview of ancient and modern Cairo; a practical guide for everyone.

The author introduces the geology, flora and fauna, desert and environment of Sinai. Its history and climate is discussed. A description of Beduin life and sites is provided. A presentation of the Scientific Exploration of Sinai is given, as are described a few sites: El-Tor, Dahab, Nuweiba, Pharaoh's island, and Moses' Mountain. Completed by beautiful and inviting photography, this recommended guide will certainly incite readers to visit the stunning region.

This wonderful book presents the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the Nobles and the village of Deir Al Medina. The author discusses mortuary rituals and presents many pharaohs, including those buried in the Valley of the Kings (Ramesses IX, Tuthmosis, Ramesses III, Ramesses I, Sethos I, Ramesses VI, Amenophis II, and Tuthomosis III), the queens buried in the Valley of the Queens (Nefertari, Khaemwaset, Amun-her-Khepshef) and the nobles from tombs TT 52, TT 69, TT 55, TT 96, TT 1 and TT 359. With maps, drawings, a bibliography, a chronological table and more than 150 photographs, this is an extremely worthwhile guide for travelers.

I should have looked at the physical size of the book before I bought it. It is a coffee table book. The pictures are all drawings and water colors of artists who travelled in Egypt, no photographs. Although they are mostly beautiful, it was not as I expected. Each "traveler" gets about 6 paragraphs, hardly an in-depth history of Egyptian exploration. I can't recommend anyone spend this kind of money on the book.

This large book invites opening on a coffee table and simply spreading oneself across its pages of magnificent illustrations to pore over their exquisite detail and colour. We can be transported back several centuries and share the wonder felt by the various artists as they strove to conserve, with meticulous care, copies of the ancient hieroglyphs and awe-inspiring sculptures for us to enjoy. This book is a great supplement to my present extensive library of Egyptology (I confess deep wonder and fascination for the civilisation of that place and period in human history). Much of what is shown in this book has since disappeared - demolished, decayed further, vandalised, removed piecemeal to museums far afield - other sites have been excavated from the encroaching sands or transposed to other locations. Hence it is interesting to compare today's photographs of these sites with the drawings and paintings of a century and more past of the same locations. I'm sure anyone with a feeling for the people who lived so long ago, and who worked hard to produce these enduring monuments to their culture, will not be disappointed with this superb collation.

Some north americans (europeans usually like) dislike to buy books full of color pages. My idea of a book on Arts, Minerals, Precious Stones and Jewelry is that it has to have all pictures in color and, if possible, full color pages. I have to see its colors, the colors the artist wants to show in his art. I like very much when I find "coffee table books" to be bought, because only this kind of books bring the same vision we see the world around us (in color).

There are only a handful 'virtual renderings' of the ancient world in this book. And, although written just a few years ago, most of these renderings look plain when compared with any contemporary simple computerized design drawing or even computer games, though the latter don't have to take into account real world physical constraints. Technical information on the virtual images is lacking for the most part.

I see the author foresaw interesting possibilities for computer reconstruction of past cultures, including virtual traveling 'inside' buildings and surveying vast areas from multiple points of view. This could be very interesting not only to the archaeologist but also to many people in other fields, from sociology to architecture, history, decoration and just travelling. But the still images don't convey a convincing picture of the final result.

I had unmet expectations about this book. It's more of a general account of some recent explorations grouped partly on a time basis and partly by region. I felt also an unbalanced mix in the final product, concerning virtual (little of this) and non virtual imagery, and also on the sites selected.

Summarizing: the book appears as a progress report on current archaeology investigations, with some reference to new techniques. The book title is misleading.

I bought this book for my partner who absolutely loved it and said it was the best thing I ever bought for them! I would highly recommend this to users of any 3D modeling program such as Bryce. I build reconstructions on my website and also for an online community site. It is important to have a good resource to use, and this book defintely fit the bill.

This volume is the best and innovative book of the world about these topics (also because is was written in 1996 !), as prof. Colin Renfrew said in the presentation. Moreover it includes new and original contributions from many important international archaeologists; in fact I know that it has a great success in all the european countries.