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★★★★★ 3
Far from enthralling, but I did learn
Format: Paperback
This book was a disappointment. It looked like exactly what I was looking for: an overview of the history, society, and culture of Egypt from ancient to modern times that wasn't 500+ pages long. I did learn a fair bit of information, but unfortunately, the book is far from "enthralling." It reads like a high school student's book report. In addition, it sometimes just throws terms out there with no explanation, and I found myself having to consult Google. For example, it says "Since hieroglyphs were difficult to create, the Egyptians developed hieretic writing, which was a type of cursive script. Later, demotic writing was developed for ordinary documents." What is demotic writing? How is it different from hieretic? The book doesn't even provide a picture. I had to go to Wikipedia to find out what these things are. This book needs slightly more detail and an author with better writing style / storytelling abilities. That said, it still may be the best short introduction available.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
