Africa Books - Page 12

Ancient Egypt

David P. Silverman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The ancient Egyptians created some of the world's most beautiful art and architecture. To this day, this ancient civilization--which produced the great pyramids, the riddle of the Sphinx, and the riches of Tutankhamun--exerts a strong hold on our imaginations.
Now, in Ancient Egypt, eminent Egyptologist David P. Silverman and a team of leading scholars explore the cultural wealth of this civilization in a series of intriguing and authoritative essays based on the latest theories and discoveries. Illustrated with more than 200 superb color photographs, maps, and charts, this book illuminates the vivid and powerful symbolic images of this fascinating culture--from pyramids and temples to priests and rituals; from hieroglyphic writing to daily life by the Nile; and from temple carvings to the cult of the dead. Correcting the popular misconception of the Egyptians as a death-obsessed people, the book uses the most recent historical research and archaeological finds to illuminate the routines of daily life in royal, elite, priestly circles, as well as at lower levels of society. We learn, for example, that despite the monochromatic appearance of most temple ruins today, in ancient times they would have been colorful, even gleaming structures; that the title "Pharaoh" derives from the Egyptian phrase per aa, which means "great house" and was originally a reference to the royal palace; that temples employed all manner of part-time and full-time personnel, from farmers and carpenters to scribes, jewelers, and keepers of livestock; and that Egyptian law viewed women as equal to men, and they could, in some cases, wield considerable influence.
The ancient Egyptians created some of the world's most beautiful art and architecture. To this day, this ancient civilization--which produced the great pyramids, the riddle of the Sphinx, and the riches of Tutankhamun--exerts a strong hold on our imaginations.

Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution

John R. Bradley

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Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Egypt

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Insightful 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Mr. Bradley writes a very telling portrait of modern Egypt, a country which has been ruled by a military oligarchy since 1953. The corruption, poverty and oppression which are hallmarks of the regime are discussed in detail and personal anecdotes are used whenever possible. The writing style makes the subject matter very easy to get through even if you are not an Islamophile or have never been to Egypt.

Many of the interviews and anecdotes took place in 2007, the same year I was assigned to duty in Egypt. Many of the experiences he had in Egypt are typical and I also had many similar experiences or knew people who did. Yes, Egyptians will not hesitate to tell you that they hate Mubarak and I also learned from Egyptians I met of the near-universal perception that Mubarak intends to have his son follow him into office. I wish the author had also mentioned the extensive cult of personality surrounding Mubarak and how his image seems to be everywhere... even if it gets vandalized in remoter parts of the country. And baksheesh is rampant in the country... I once had to pay a parking attendant a small wad of notes for helping me get out of my reserved parking space... he had allowed another vehicle to park too close to the front of my machine. Events that I could "verify" with my own experiences made the book real to me.

On the other hand, the author did not fully discuss the problems involved in removing food subsidies, political pluralism or the legitimate terror threat that hangs over Egypt. Also, the author feels it necessary to compare the routine torture that takes place in Egyptian police stations to Abu Ghraib... where no physical torture took place despite the images on the internet. He also feels it necessary to denigrate the Coalition effort to bring democracy in Iraq. The author bemoans the lack of democracy in Egypt but in none of the instances he mentions Iraq does he talk about the successful elections there.

Egypt's future is uncertain and this book definitely gives you a feeling for the disaster that looms on the horizon when Mubarak passes on.

Editorial Review:

Five decades after Nasser and the Free Officers overthrew the British-backed monarchy in a dramatic coup d'état, the future of Egypt grows more uncertain by the day. John Bradley examines the junctions of Egyptian politics and society as they slowly disintegrate under the twin pressures of a ruthless military dictatorship at home and a flawed Middle East policy in Washington. Inside Egypt is a tour-de-force of the most brutal Arab state where torture and corruption are endemic--but one that is also a key U.S. all and a historic regional trendsetter. This uniquely insightful book brings to vivid life Egypt's competing identities and political trends, as the Mubarak dynasty struggles to resolve a succession crisis and the disciplined Islamists wait patiently in the wings for a chance to seize power.

A History of the Middle East

Peter Mansfield, Richard Brown

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this masterly work of synthesis, Peter Mansfield, drawing on his experience as a journalist and a historian, explores two centuries of history in the Middle East. He forms a picture of the historical, political, and social history of the meeting point of Occident and Orient, from Bonaparte's marauding invasion of Egypt to the start of the Gulf War. For more than four thousand years, the Middle East has provided a setting for titanic struggles between great civilizations and religions. In this century it became the focus of rivalry between the European powers as the last major Islamic empire of the Ottoman Turks crumbled and collapsed. The discovery of the world's greatest oil reserves gave the region global economic importance as well as a unique strategic value. The foundation of a national state by immigrant Zionist Jews created one of the most insoluble political problems of our era, which is compounded by the reassertion of Islamic consciousness among the great majority of the region's inhabitants. In two penetrating final chapters, Peter Mansfield discusses Saddam Hussein and the prospects for the future.

An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary : With an Index of English Words, King List, and Geographical List with Indexes, List of Hieroglyphic Characters, Coptic and Semitic Alphabets (Vol 1)

E. A. Wallis Budge

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Budge is a GREAT WAY to become FLUENT in this language 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Budge is the best way to go if you are serious about becoming fluent in this beautiful language. The fact is that Budge puts the symbol, the transliteration, and the translation all together so you can know exactly what word you are reading and you can learn the syntax by reading his texts. You can pronounce it as you are learning it while reading the symbol all at the same time. The other wonderful thing about Budge is that he has loads of works out there. If you study one book, then you can easily move into other books and get the same reinforcement without having to learn some different author's other pronunciation key.

I know it is possible to use these books and become fluent. I am in the process of studying this language and a friend who is already fluent recommended these books for me (actually he reviewed Rosemary Clark's book The Sacred Tradition)--but another key point is to understand the essence behind the language. One who follows the Faith of the Gods of Ancient Egypt will be able to relate more to these texts because in order to understand a language such as this one, one must understand the spirit behind the language. Anyone can pick up a hieroglyphics book and learn to write people's names in hieroglyphics. To really understand the deeper aspect of the language, one must study it from the inside and not just as an observer. It is impossible to truly become fluent in a language by being just an observer.

I would recommend reading The Search for Omm Sety about a woman who was a famous Egyptologist and also practiced the Faith of the Gods. She was one of the few people who learned Ancient Egyptian language fluently and was able to understand and communicate its essence. Omm Sety was a personal friend of Budge and actually helped Budge to edit his work and pronunciation. You also may want to read The Sacred Tradition by Rosemary Clark. She was another author who became fluent in this language and she discussses the use of this language in her writings.

I highly recommend this book. Budge has the very best to offer for anyone serious about learning this language.

Editorial Review:

Volume 1 of the monumental work containing about 25,000 words and terms that occur in texts ranging from 3000 B.C. to 600 A.D. Each entry consists of a transliteration of the word, the word in hieroglyphs, and the meaning in English. Indispensable to serious student.

A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa: Being a Narrative of Nine Years Spent Amongst the Game of the Far Interior of South Africa (Resnick Library of African Adventure, No. 6.)

Frederick Courteney Selous

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Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hunting & Fishing -> Hunting
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hunting & Fishing -> Shooting

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Classic Africana 4 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

If you are into reading about old time African hunters, this book is one you must have on your shelves. He was obviously a very tough man who lived a life full of adventure. If you read many other old time African hunters, you will find this book to complement others. Well worth buying.

Hunting Africian animals 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If you love hunting and Africa this is the book for you. It is all hunting. There is somethings about the people. A little about his guns, but he went on to become one of the greatest African hunters ever. The great game reserve of Tanzania is named for him. I loved this book. It is direct and to the point, hunting, hunting and more hunting. Read it and enjoy. thanks

The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

Richard H. Wilkinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Worshiped for over three-fifths of recorded history, ancient Egypt's gods and goddesses are among the most fascinating of human civilization. The lives of pharaohs and commoners alike were dominated by the need to honor, worship, and pacify the huge pantheon of deities. From lavish tomb paintings and imposing temple reliefs to humble household shrines, countless tributes throughout Egypt reflect the richness and complexity of their mythology.

This book examines the evolution, worship, and eventual decline of the numerous gods and goddesses—from minor household figures such as Bes and Taweret to the all-powerful deities Amun and Re—that made Egypt the most completely theocratic society of the ancient world, and made Egyptians, according to Herodotus, "more religious than any other people."

• "Rise and Fall of the Gods" considers the origins of Egypt's deities, their struggles to control cosmic forces, and their eventual decline.
• "Nature of the Gods" examines the forms, appearances, and manifestations of the deities, as well as the transcendence of preeminent deities such as Amun.
• "Worship of the Gods" introduces the rituals and mysteries of formal Egyptian worship, including the importance of temples and festivals.
• "Kingship and the Gods" discusses the all-important position of the king, who served as a bridge between the gods and humanity.
• "The Many Faces of the Divine" is a unique catalogue of Egypt's gods and goddesses grouped according to their primary forms, discussing their iconography, mythology, and worship, and their influence over time.

With hundreds of illustrations and specially commissioned drawings, this is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the deities that lay at the heart of Egyptian religion and society. 400 illustrations, 170 in color.

Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt

Nina Burleigh

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Not yet published By: Harper Perennial

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Professionals & Academics -> Social Scientists & Psychologists
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Subjects -> History -> Europe -> France -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Two hundred years ago, only the most reckless or eccentric Europeans had dared to traverse the unmapped territory of the modern-day Middle East. But in 1798, more than 150 French engineers, artists, doctors, and scientists—even a poet and a musicologist—traveled to the Nile Valley under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte and his invading army. Hazarding hunger, hardship, uncertainty, and disease, Napoleon's "savants" risked their lives in pursuit of discovery. The first large-scale interaction between Europeans and Muslims in the modern era, the audacious expedition was both a triumph and a disaster, resulting in finds of immense historical and scientific importance (including the ruins of the colossal pyramids and the Rosetta Stone) and in countless tragic deaths through plague, privation, madness, or violence.

Acclaimed journalist Nina Burleigh brings readers back to the landmark adventure at the dawn of the modern era that ultimately revealed the deepest secrets of ancient Egypt to a curious continent.

The White Nile

Alan Moorehead

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Subjects -> History -> World -> Expeditions & Discoveries

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An interesting history of early exploration in Africa 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

As I recall, I learned effectively zero about African history in high school or college. A friend recommended this book as an interesting history of early exploration in Africa, covering roughly the period of 1850 through 1910. It begins with Burton & Speke setting off from Zanzibar to try and discover the source of part of the Nile River, known as the White Nile. That epedition and many, many others are summarized and discussed, with nice quotes from the writings of the actual explorers.

Drawings on writings and newspapers from the times, and obviously very careful research, the author relates the history of the exploration and "discovery" (by the white man) of Africa, primarily in the region of modern day Uganda and Tanzania, with a little bit of overlap into Zanzibar, Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, Rawanda and Ethiopia.

I found it to be a compelling and enjoyable read. While it would be fascinating beyond belief to read written accounts by Africans life and history in 1850 and before, the absence of a written language in many tribes means its not available. While I don't always like what early explorers had to say about the Africans they met, when they reveal their observations I can take those and reject their judgments and at least learn something more than I knew before about these countries. Moorehead does a great job of weavcing together available information to try and give a picture of what life was like then for the explorers, those reading about the expeditions back home, and the natives both being "discovered" and being hired as porters and guides on the expeditions.

Editorial Review:

Relive all the thrills and adventure of Alan Moorehead's classic bestseller The White Nile -- the daring exploration of the Nile River in the second half of the nineteenth century, which was at that time the most mysterious and impenetrable region on earth. Capturing in breathtaking prose the larger-than-life personalities of such notable figures as Stanley, Livingstone, Burton and many others, The White Nile remains a seminal work in tales of discovery and escapade, filled with incredible historical detail and compelling stories of heroism and drama.

Alistair Cooke's America

Alistair Cooke

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Classics stand the test of time, and Alistair Cooke’s history of America is a classic. Nearly three decades have passed since the original edition of America—based on journalist-historian Cooke’s extraordinarily popular thirteen-part television series—sold more than a million copies. Yet Cooke’s view of America’s dynamic past and its impact upon the always-changing present continues to provide striking insights into the singular character of a nation. Those thirty years since award-winning America first rose to the top of best-seller lists have themselves wrought further dramatic changes. Presidents have been impeached, economies have toppled, empires have collapsed, and towers have fallen. In light of such events, Cooke has written for this new edition a compelling introduction and final chapter that bring his story of America up to date with the wisdom of the inimitably grand old man of correspondents. And what a story this book tells. From the discovery of America by European explorers to modern times; from the fighters for independence to the pioneers who tamed the West; from the slaves who fled to freedom to the huddled masses that sought a new life in the New World. And through it all, Cooke describes the essential forces that make America work so vitally. Updated in light of the September 11th tragedy, this new edition is complimented with full-color illustrations throughout. "The first and maybe the finest, tribute to the nation."—Newsweek "A panoramic book, traveling fast and high, and the view it gives of our land and its people is exhilarating."—Atlantic Monthly

The Orion Mystery: Unlocking the Secrets of the Pyramids

Robert Bauval, Adrian Gilbert

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Archaeology -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

AMAZING 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Next to Grahm Hancock, Robert Bauval is the creme de la creme of astro-archeology.

Everything you thought you knew about the pyramids is WRONG.

In the future the work of Bauval and Hancock is the marker that determines our understanding of ancient works like The Great Pyramid.

We are in a 'new age' of understanding our past thanks to the works of geniuses like Bauval and Hancock.

AMAZING

Amazingly boring 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Granted, the author got some interesting ideas. But why does he hide them for the most part of the book? About 80% of the book is a repetitive description of different facts, theories and opinions, with the author arguing about "what is not correct", and no clue at what is he getting at. Well, not fare, he gives some clues, but not more. Sometimes it looks like he's got carried away with a need to talk (or write) without any point to deliver.

Again, that's not to say that he does not have any interesting things inside, he certainly has. It's just those interesting things would fit into 20 pages if described without well-known, repetitive and not-so-exciting things.

Editorial Review:

A revolutionary book that explains the most enigmatic and fascinating wonder of the ancient world: the Pyramids of Egypt. "[An] absorbing and fascinating work of archaeological detection...clearly and rivetingly told...the book is highly and compulsively readable."--London Sunday Times. 16-page black-and-white inserts.