One of my best (and dare I say it, oldest) friends is someone I met in college. Unlike so many of us, she knew what she wanted to do with her life and was on her way to graduate school even as a freshman. She was (and is) fascinated by Ancient Egypt.

I have a mere two (three if you count her thesis) books of an ancient Egyptian theme on my shelf so I went to her for further recommendations (and some to avoid).

TimeLife used to put together wonderful book series on a great variety of topics. I've kept a few from some of them, including Ancient Egypt, by Lionel Casson and the Editors of Time-Life books from Great Ages of Man. I loved the parts about daily life, one that was so very long ago. The book came out in 1965 so some of the information may be dated or even incorrect, but as with other TimeLife books, the pictures are worth a look.

When the King Tut exhibit was on tour, my friend and I went together. The fun that was comes back to me with Treasures of Tutankhamun, the guide to the artifacts on display. On the tape that was available there was a demonstration of the trumpet found in the tomb (see page 103). To hear it played, and knowing that it was the same sound heard by the ancient Egyptians gave me goosebumps! (I do know Tut is also spelled with men at the end, but this is the spelling on my guide book).

The Tomb-builders of the Pharaohs, by Morris Bierbrier is currently unavailable locally, but other readers of my blog may still find it at their library, it's one of the best.

My friend suggests we stay away from all books by Budge. The information in them is VERY outdated. Many people have his Book of the Dead, and try to teach themselves how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs from it, but his work was inaccurate even when it was was first published. She even double checked online and found a 2008 version with new introduction (Romer), but the back of the book says it keeps Budges translation.

I used this as a gift one year: Egyptology by Emily Sands and Dugald Steer with illustrations by Nick Harris, Helen Ward and Ian Andrew. An interactive book (before computers changed that term!), I'm told it was fun. :-) There are maps, and fold out pages, a game or two, a guide to reading hieroglyphs, and even a scrap of mummy cloth.

And, for some lighter reading:

The Amelia Peabody mysteries, by Elizabeth Peters comes highly recommended. This is because the author is really Barbara Mertz, an actual Egyptologist using a pen name! There are 19 books in the series, starting with Crocodile on the Sandbank. I've read four (some time ago, now) but remember great characters and settings.

Turns out we share a similar story with Zilpha Keatley Snyder. We each read just one of her books when we were young, and it was because of the subject matter. For me it was Season of Ponies (March 25, 2014 post), while for her it was The Egypt Game. Now I've read both! Sent to live with her grandmother (from Hollywood), April isn't sure what to expect. She soon meets Melanie and learns that they share an interest in Ancient Egypt. This leads to the the Egypt Game. There will eventually be six 'Egyptians' in this delightful book for children. Using things found in a vacant lot, information from books, and lots of imagination (no tvs or phones around here). Strange messages add to the wonder. As does an octopus.

Reading Hermit With Dog