If the Egypt and holy land of the 19th century explorers interest you - or if you love David Roberts prints of Egypt and want to see what the temples look like from an objective view, then this book is for you. The photos presented here were taken by Francis Firth a Derbyshire photographer who travelled to Egypt and the middle east a number of times in the 1850's and 60's and recorded what he saw with these fantastic photographs.

The photos are all clear, beautiful shots, like the best of 19th century photography. You get to see views like The Pyramids of Giza and Dahshur, the temples of Dendera, Karnak, Luxor, Thebes and Edfu all buried in sand or in their "original" ruined 19th century state. In addition to the wonderful parade of Egyptian photos there are also scenes from Jerusalem, Gaza, the dead sea and Baalbek in Lebanon.

This is a wonderful book that takes you on a visual trip to the past. Recommended for anyone interested in Egypt or 19th century photography.