I've seen the review written by one who returned the book immediately upon seeing this book. Big mistake! This book may sport a simple velo-binding, but the art *is* beautiful (the cover of my copy is in full color, so I have no idea what the complainer spoke of) and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, this is hands-down the most comprehensive and well-researched introduction to the modern practice of ancient Egyptian religion I have yet to read. It is founded not only on extensive academic research, but also on very heartfelt experiences with the Neteru. This, above all other books, should be the one to start with if you find your self drawn to this ancient religion.

The text is comprehensive and progressive, leading on through the basics and then onto more complex philosophical and practical elements. All you need to know to begin practicing ancient Egyptian (Kemetic) religion is right here, not to mention a killer bibliography. That alone should keep you in good, quality books for quite a while. If you let yourself get turned off so easily by the binding, you will be missing out on a great text. Kerry Wisner's second book, "Song of Hathor," is the next purchase you should make after this one.

Thoroughly documented. Hard to find information contained within. I was truly impressed by the research and amount of time it must have taken to put this volume together.

I have the second edition, which does not have the color cover - but still worth it for the information it contains. Looking forward to more works like this author.

This is one of the those rare books that comes along filled with detailed information while being written in an easy to understand format. This books brings the concepts and rituals involved in Ancient Egyptian Religion within easy access of the layperson. Yet the documentation provided in the text shows that the author has done his homework in reseraching the matierial at hand. This is a must for anyone who is seriously interested in Ancient Egyptian religion and magic.

Decius Caecilius Metellus is the star of another series of detective fiction set in era of the Roman Republic. Like Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco series, it features a wise-guy sleuth who thankfully has the good grace not to think too highly of himself. Above all, Decius is human and is not above enjoying a good bout of drinking or a night of carousing in the one of the city's less reputable quarters. Told in the first person, his comments are snide, meant to amuse and soften the historical aspect of the novel by bringing it into the more modern perspective of current sensibilites regarding universal issues like cult religions, proper behavior or the octopus of the political bureaucracy.
In this particular offering, the historical phase of the story is particularly entertaining as it enlightens the reader with regard to the lost city of Alexandria. Decius is part of an envoy to the city of Alexandria, so we are privy to his first hand encounter of a city built on a grid, newer and so different from Rome. As Decius tours, so do we. We visit some of the wonders of the ancient world: the fabled great Library, the temple of the Muses (Museum) and the great Pharos lighthouse. Amidst this backdrop, Decius entertains with his impressions of the alien Hellenic Egyptians (Berenice, Cleopatra and Ptolemy) and the strange barbarian cults which are housed in foreign temples along Alexandia's wide thoroughfares. We are enlightened as to his thoughts of the more prominent Romans of his day: Julius Caesar, Crassius, Sulla and their progeny,Sulla's daughter. Fausta and Decius' fiance, Julia Minor, daughter of Lucius Caesar. When a mathematician from Chios is murdered, Decius plods about like a toga clad Sherlock Holmes--infuriating most of the dignitaries he interviews for the sake of determining the truth. When another murder occurs and the body is found naked beside Decius in his own bed, it becomes brutally clear that Decius has stumbled upon a much more insidious political plot not meant to eliminate one or two unlucky people, but to undermine Rome's entire influence over Egypt.
I read this book without the benefit of reading the first three SPQR novels, so I am ill-equipped to discuss the author's development of his main character and the substories which involve his lesser players. I can only say that the book was enjoyable as a stand-alone and could only get better with the anticipated knowledge reading the other stories would provide.

Decius Caecilius Metellus has an odd penchant for using curiosity and logic to deduce grand political intrigues threatening the ancient Roman Republic. Decius's optimistic cynicism and amusing asides make for lively reading, but outrage the stolid Roman virtues of dignitas and gravitas expected of young Senators like him. Since Decius rarely succeeds in actually doing something against the powerful villains like Crassus, Pompey, or Caesar at the heart of this series (but not this interlude), he frequently finds it necessary to leave town. In this episode of his saga, the noble Roman family Caecilius Metellus is up to its ears in trouble again, but in Egypt rather than its usual Roman haunts. Decius is a minor functionary in the Roman embassy situated in the remarkable town of Alexandria, where he is soon nosing after murder in the famous Library, snooping on a new religious cult, questing after dreadful new engines of war, and attempting to save beautiful Egyptian princesses and even the puppet ruler Ptolemy. We also get a glimpse of the 10-year-old Cleopatra before she was quite able to snare her first Roman. Once again the plot spirals into politically catastrophic events--will Decius save the Roman-Egyptian alliance?--even though the events seem loosely plotted and made up, even fantastical, rather than more tightly historic as elsewhere in the series or in the tales of Steven Saylor. I find Decius quite a likeable character; I'm glad the series continues.

There's a didactic subtext to these stories: pay attention and we can learn much about the organization of Roman society and politics, its economic basis and strategic considerations (especially re Egypt in this book), and the origin of modern terms like politics or Muse-um. Roberts does a great job of fusing geography and story here: the exotic city of classical Alexandria and its many extraordinary buildings--not just the Lighthouse or the Library--are ably evoked, and their forms play several crucial roles in the story. Unfortunately, the map and glossary of the city of Rome that again appear in this volume are quite off the mark, helping not at all with the descriptions of Alexandria and the Egyptian mystery religions that are so prominent in the text. The editor also allows Roberts to indicate that this book 4 takes place before book 3, is that right?

SPQR IV is JMR's best offering of Decius Metellus the Younger. Having so often referred to circumstance or snooping imposed periods of exile we finally get to see how well Decuis travels.
And the result is as well as Todd's Claudia Seferius and better than Davis' Didius Falco.
This installment finds our erstwhile hero appearing as a Roman diplomat at Alexandria, in the Eyptian province. Ably supported by his slave Hermes and the great physician character, Asklepodies he is quickly joined by his now-confirmed betrothed Julia Minor and the female half of Sulla's twin children, Fausta.
As Decius and Julia wrly note towards the end, Decius gets tangled in a web of murder simply because it is, as Ptolemy the Flute-Player notes, his hobby. The murder, mayhem and rioting that he brings as part of his investigatory technique disrputs an entire city to the point that his denouement and great service to the Roman state is swiftly followed by him being tossed on the nearest ship to Rhodes. Never mind.
No venture into Alexandria can occur without philosophical ramblings (Decius' dry comments on the death of Archimedes to Antigones is extremely humorous) and they abound here in plenty, beginning with the death of the mathematician turned secret mechanics-dabbler Iphicrates.
The only thing that slightly disappoints and echoes the previous novel, is that the 'uncovering' is always lame. In this case the three culprits get together, write everything down and neatly recount everything they've done to the listening Decius. These people deserve to be caught if that's the case. You get the feeling JMR hadn't quite yet mastered the art of the murder mystery denouement in the same vein as that master of such - Agatha Christie.
Nevertheless, aside from a poor murder mystery ending, the rest of the tale is extremely good and the dry sardonic innocence of Decius 'snooping' is now firmly established making this tale very humorous.
Buy it.

Hornung takes a fascinating topic and renders it fairly dry and academic, but that's probably his purpose here. Unfortunately, everything is touched on only sketchily, so that you only get tantalizing hints without any real depth.

I will likely have to get a second resource now since this was too general for my purposes. It was, however, wonderfully illustrated, and is probably a great 'quick guide' if you need some information fast.

This book elucidates how ancient Egyptians believed that the sun had a position in the center of a cosmography in the afterlife. When Man died, he entered the cosmography of eternity, but faced obstacles anterior to the sun. For example, a gated wall might have obstructed a person's entry into the delectable area close to the sun. Additionally, after death, a person experienced the transmigration of the soul. Thus, a person might have reincarnated into an animal. Altogether, a fascinating look into Egyptian afterlife with detailed illustrations to complement the text. This author used excellent sources, including the pyramid texts, which greatly contributed to the book's historical accuracy. At the end of the book, a useful glossary aids the reader for insight into Egyptian technical terms.

Egyptologists tend to focus mostly on the Book of the Dead, ignoring lesser known texts to a large degree. Here the author offers a concise and detailed summary and explanation of other ancient Egyptian texts. Included here are the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, the Book of the Dead, the Books of Breathing, the Amduat, the Spell of the Twelve Caves, the Book of Gates, the Book of Caverns, the Book of the Earth, the Book of Nut, the Book of the Day, the Book of the Night, the Litany of Re, the Book of the Heavenly Cow and the Book of Traversing Eternity. The glossary and extensive bibliography are useful. Well translated by David Lorton, illustrated in black and white, this is a recommended book for all searching for details on important Egyptian texts.

Obviously this book is not a complete record of the uses, and sources. When taken in the context that the author is writing at the end of the Victorian era(source of all the thees an thous in the translation) and that the English, at least at that time, had most of the artifacts, the book is really good for giving a feeling of how Egyptian "stuff" fit into the world structure at that point in time. (remember the writer is a "Sir" an part of the citadel gang). Sometimes the errors in earlier works provide greater insight than facts. (most religions) Aside from the "stiff upper lip" the reader found the book fun. And if you wanted to get Jungian how the four sons of Horus coincide with the psyco analytic stuff and the 4 goveners in Mayan mythology provide and interesting comparison.

This book was originality published in 1901 in a series called "Books on Egypt and Chaldaea". Needless to say, the information in this book is quit outdated. There are numerous errors in the text and some quite obvious. With that said, I think the book was interesting, and especially like the explanation of some of the spells in the "Egyptian Book of the Dead".

Unlike most of Budge's other works, this is written for the layman to understand. Though he still cannot resist showing off his skills as a scholar, one doesn't need a vast knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, Coptic, and Arabic alphabets to gain the book's full value (I often wonder if at some point in his career Budge didn't "sell out," writing books that people outside Oxford and Cmabridge would want to read.). Virtually every amulet and talisman is covered, along with their proper use and materials they were made from. As always, the introduction and stories Budge gives are fascinating as well, giving tales not generally told in modern times and the various mechanics of how the Egyptian priests and magicians performed their magic. One can see why Budge's work is still in print, as he offers the reader a maximum of research and scholarship with none of the new-age BS that is so common in such books written today.

This is the third book that I've read by Mahfouz. I believe it will be the last. I started reading him because he is, after all, a Nobel Prize-winning author. I couldn't figure out why after reading "Respected Sir" or "The Search" and I'm still not sure after "Adrift on the Nile". However, this last book was the best of the three and you might want to read it and judge for yourself. It's short and won't take long to read. I found it surprizing to read about such a decadent group of individuals partaking of their illegal substances in the middle of Cairo. The basic plot, as I understood it, has to do with examining the reactions of artistic intelligentia with cold hard reality. How do people who search for "Truth" handle the truth? We'll at least he didn't drag it out. I'm not sure why Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize but I'm through trying to find out.

Intellectuals gather every evening on a boat for drug and sex parties. One of them writes a play with the members of the group as main characters. Their common attitude: flight for reality, nihilism and defeatism. The fervour after the Nasser revolution is gone: "Revolutions are planned by cunning foxes, fought by the brave and won by the cowards."
But ultimately they are confronted with reality when one of them kills a person in a car accident and flees. Will the name of the culprit be revealed to the police? The group falls apart.

Mahfouz punches Samuel Beckett and his 'theatre of the absurd' K.O. when he cleverly remarks that Beckett filed a complaint against an editor who failed to fulfil his contract. His plays may be absurd, but not the royalties. It was all just a pose.

Indeed, more a book for Egyptian readers, but also with a universal theme: don't shun your responsibilities.

Winning the Nobel Prize for literature (in 1988) certainly didn't hurt him any, and
now Naguib Mahfouz has become a house-hold name (for the literati, at least). When
one reads a Prize-winner, one expects substance and style, and Mahfouz, if his
translators are honest, certainly seems worthy of the Swedish honor. In "Adrift on the
Nile," nihilism is the word, as a group of like minded intellectuals gather nightly on a
houseboat moored on the famous river where they question anything that can be
questioned--"but no answers," they claim. "There are never any answers," as they call
into account any topic brought up. It is a "din in iniquity," for sure, as good Egyptian
kif (and a well-stoked pipe) help to bring out their curiousity cum intellect. That is,
until, toward the end of this short novel, the group takes a ride out into the desert
where a disaster happens. It's Jay Gatsby, final chapter, of course.
Mahfouz is compared to Proust, Camus, Salinger, and an introspective Hemingway,
and justifiably so. Hailed as the "widest-read Arab writer currently published in the
U.S.," Mahfouz has certainly wielded his own influence among international readers
since the '88 Prize; alas, it seems it took the impact of this award for his books to
achieve their circulation, but that doesn't diminish his themes, his philosophies, his
impact on both socially significant issues and modern literature.
"Adrift on the Nile" reads fast and it is short; yet it packs a punch that seems to score
to the very soul. The houseboat literally becomes a ship of fools, adrift on the
Sargasso Sea, headed into the Bermuda triangle. Existentialists will love this one.
(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

This is an exceptional work and contains the most esoteric detail, almost a bullet by bullet, gun by gun, tank by tank replay of the bloody African campaign in late 1942 between the British Empire forces and the Axis powers. The book however lacks new insights and gives sparse print to the roles of Montbomery and Rommel, which was my real interest in obtaining this book. Many times I had to force myself to plod through myriad details, however begrudgingly admiring the scholarly effort Mr. Latimer has put forth. There are some wonderful anecdotes and quotes from officers and men on the line, many of whom did not return from this battle. No question about it - war is hell. This may be your cup of tea, to borrow a pun from the book, but I think what I really needed was a Diet Pepsi.

I was astonished to read reviews below complaining that this eminently readable study of a major World War II battle was 'too detailed'. What do people expect from Harvard University Press? Free crayons and a colouring-in guide?

This excellent book really brings the desert war to life, explaining the mechanics while allowing the participants to tell the story, including the crucial and often overlooked aspect of logistics. It gives full credit to the Commonwealth contribution to this 'British' victory, even down to bar-room brawls in Cairo between various contingents. Latimer also offers an even-handed analysis of the chief protagonists, Montgomery and Rommel. Sure there are no new revelations, but short of their turning out to be alien lizards, what do you expect? And yes, war really is hell, and this is not a book to buy if you want the Disneyfied version.

Alamein by Jon Latimer is a modern study utilizing ULTRA and also exploring the naval and air aspects at the battle of El Alamein. It is primarily focused on the British/Commonwealth effort at the battle, and so it can be faulted in not having more on the Axis, but that is not its aim. It explores the "how" the battle impacted Britain and how the battle was influenced by Montgomery. For a serious study it is highly readable. It also benefits from modern computer graphics for an extensive map section.

The author needs to learn what the word "proof" means. This book cites "proof" that doesn't even come close to any kind of standard of evidence. For instance, on page 25, the author states: "The unique heritage of the Jews and the predominance of the Bible over the ages prove that God did in fact enter the earth's atmosphere in a cloud." This is not proof of anything.

The whole premise of this book is that visitors from another world are the entity known as "God". Aliens indeed. Well, everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion but to title opinion as "truth" or a deeper truth, unfortunately in this case is a telltale sign of a deeper delusion. Religion is faith based, and as such, doesn't always withstand scientific scrutiny. Sure there are lessons to be learned from the Bible and/or other religious writings, but people need to recognize a metaphor for what it really is. That is the "deeper truth" - not that aliens with superior knowledge imparted some kind of profound wisdom to different cultures in the distant past.

I found this passage in the book rather insulting - from page 28: "Intriguingly, this word of God has consistently yielded messages of love, spirituality, peace and unity, messages that seem to reflect a very profound and distant level of wisdom, one far greater than that which any ordinary human mind could have conceived."

Certainly, the author has quite a vivid imagination as evidenced by his opinions in this book. That distant civilizations found ways to convey a message of love, spirituality, peace and unity in a creative metaphorical manner should come as no surprise to the author.

My advice? Save your money. This book isn't worth the read.

The first chapter is controversial, even outrageous. The author believes that the interventions of God in the history of planet earth is "proof" that man is not the only intelligent life in the cosmos. In other words, God exists, God has worked miracles on earth... but God is not the 'Creator of the Universe'. Yes, a bit strange, but if you can get passed this idea, the claim is masterfully supported throughout the other chapters.

The evidence that God was first Ra and that Ra first incarnated in the form of Osiris (the "First Time") in Egypt is by far the most interesting part of the book (also the bulk of the book). The author keeps the material fresh and fast paced, but at the same time delivers a deep, well-thought out and well-researched essay on his beliefs and the beliefs of scholars, Egyptologists, and Theologians...

Highly readable...if a bit daring...3 stars...the ending could have been better...but an overall interesting read...New

Not just one discovery...there are so many discoveries inside of every chapter! The Deeper Truth is a fitting title. The writing is excellent, it flows from one subject to the next beautifully, and there is so much information packed neatly and tightly in. The first four chapters are absolutely brilliant. It is the kind of book you read over and over again. I have just started reading it for the second time around and I am finding things I didn't catch the first time. Highly recommended to alternative thinkers, Masons, as well as mainstream philosophers and theologians.

There is no bibliography or footnotes or any citations at all in this book and that is always a bad sign. Sure the pictures are cool to look at, there are ok timelines and tables, and just having an alphabetical source of Egyptian terms is wonderful. But this should not be somone's primary source for Egyptian information especially if you are doing anything academically like writing a school paper or giving a talk on Egypt. I'll tell you this for certain, it is not worth [the money]...

Having done much research of Ancient Egypt from credible resourses, I found the Encyclopedia to be lacking. Many of the "articles" had little usable information or even incorrect information. Some of the information in this Encyclopedia was the same as that found in the 1880's Manual Of Ancient History that I own. This information, I must add, has been disproved by many new discoveries. I was very disappointed by this book. In my opinion, it wasn't worth the ... I spent on it. There are many other more credible books available that are more worth the money.

For anyone who has a passing interest in the ancient Egyptian culture, to those who need information for school reports or so forth, this book is incredibly useful.

All the entries are listed alphabetically for easy reference and cross referenced as well, so if you wanted to know about a certain queen or Pharaoh, there will be entries listed with more information on subjects pertaining to that particular entry.

Combined with the reference book Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, you have an invaluable set of resource books.

The Falcon of Abydos was exciting. After I started this book, it was hard to put down. I have read all the books in this series, but The Falcon of Abydos is my favorite. I would recommend this exciting adventure book to anyone who enjoys a good book.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I have read all of the books in the series, but this one was my favorite. I think it was very well written, and I liked the subject of Eygpt too! I would greatly recomend this book to anyone who likes adventures!

I thought this book was great. It is full of excitment and action. My favorite part is when they find the room made of gold.
I also like the part when they went on the hang`gliders.I realy liked The Falcon of Abydos.

Carson Parker

This is better than "Dreadful Future". Peck has restored the slow, exquisite, romantic tone of the first two installments, and the storyline is stronger, but it still doesn't rise to the level of GIHB.

I will say upfront that I adore Blossom. Her strong will, her practicality and resourcefulness make her a character that I'm frankly surprised doesn't get more press when people are recommending books for young women. But I wish there would be less emphasis on her interaction with Letty and her minions. It's really not worth her time to worry about such things in the first place, and her crude "revenge" schemes are beneath her. I liked the perspective she had in GIHB, when she observes that she could have taken over the Sunny Thoughts/Busy Fingers, but wasn't interested, because there was a wider world available to her. I like her better when she's doing her own thing and not getting drawn into petty power games.

Secondly, when is Alexander going to man up already? Every time something out of the ordinary happens, he starts whimpering and begging for mercy like a little girl. I could understand that in GIHB, when he was 13, but he's going on 15 by now, and it's about time he started showing a maturity level at least equal to Blossom's. If he doesn't, she should just forget about him.

And as far as that goes, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the resolution of that love triangle. Alexander glares at Blossom for "losing" the INB pin so he "couldn't give it to Letty"; meanwhile, she claims to see "relief in his eyes". Or, maybe she's just seeing what she wants to see. If it really is that way, Peck should have been less ambiguous and had him say, "Well, I was going to give it to you," and have Blossom's jaw hit the pavement.

I did like the suffragette teacher, and the third appearance of Old Man Leverette. But as far as that goes, where's Daisy-Rae? Okay, so maybe she didn't "work", but that underscores what I said about DF: it is best simply forgotten. Or, as Dorothy Parker said, thrown with great force.

Although this may not be the best of Peck's Blossom Culp books, it is still great reading. The unlikely heroine, Blossom, has an engaging narrative style. A great book for adults as well as kids!

I read all of Richard Peck's books as a child and young adult, and am now getting my daughter started on them. Blossom Culp was always one of the most entertaining heroines I knew. Her world, brought to life by one of my favorite authors, was so foreign to me, and I loved and cherished every bit of her stories, as I did all of Mr. Peck's books.