Product Description

Edward William Lane (1801-76), a name known to almost anyone in Middle East studies, was the translator or author of a number of highly influential works: The Thousand and One Nights, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, and the Arabic-English Lexicon. Yet one of his greatest works, Description of Egypt, was never published, for financial reasons. Sold to the British Museum by Lanes widow in 1891, the manuscript has only now been salvaged for publication, nearly 170 years after its completion. Written in the form of a journey through Egypt from north to south, this important book includes descriptions of all the ancient monuments and contemporary life that Lane explored along the way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1219215 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 786 pages

About the Author
Jason Thompson is an associate professor in the department of history at the American University in Cairo.

Customer Reviews

EVERY EGYPT-INTERESTED ONE SHOULD OWN IT!
The re-edition of E.W. Lane's book is one of the most welcomed additions for the bookshelves of anyone interested in ancient and late last-century Egypt. This book, in reality, was originally published after the notes, drawings and photographs made by Lane during his journey to the Nile country between 1825-27, so that it is a mine of information about the pharaonic monuments in general and about Egypt during those years. A clear and finely written preface by the Editor, Dr. J. Thompson introduces the reader to the beautifully printed text and images; it should be noted that many of the latter were made with a camera lucida and count among the first taken with such a system. One should not be afraid by its bulky aspect: you will read from start to end without boring. The shcolarly-minded ones will regret the lack of indexes to such a huge volume: it implies that you must do the work by yourself... Simply fabulous both for the Egyptologists and the Egyptomaniacs.

Detailed descriptions of all the ancient monuments
Edited and with an informative introduction by Jason Thompson, Description Of Egypt: Notes And Views In Egypt And Nubia Made During The Years 1825-28 is the absorbing nineteenth century account by Edward William Lane (1801-1876) of his travels along the length and breadth of Egypt. It was offered for publication in 1831 but never saw print. The manuscript was sold to the British Library by Lane's widow in 1891 and only now has been published, some 170 years after its completion. With Lane's detailed descriptions of all the ancient monuments and contemporary life that he saw during his journey, Description Of Egypt will proof an invaluable reference for students of Egyptology, Egyptian history, and nineteenth century Egyptian culture.