PHARAOHS, FELLAHS AND EXPLORERS
Book Details + Condition: Harper & Brothers (London). First Edition, 1891 (copyright 1891, printed 1892). Dark orange / brown boards with gilt decorations on front and on spine; top edge gilt. 325 pages. Illustrated profusely with b&w illustrations and photographs. Includes chapters on Egyptian exploration, the buried cities of ancient Egypt, portrait painting and sculpture, literature and religion in ancient Egypt, hieroglyphic writing of the ancient Egyptians, Queen Hatasu, and her expedition to the land of Punt, based on a course of lectures delivered by the author in the United States. With large additions, notes, and references. Amelia Edwards (1831-1892) was a prolific novelist, poet and travel writer. Her earliest 'travel' book was published in 1862. Travelling by dahabiah (sailing boat of the Nile) and armed with a sketch-book, she carefully recorded all she saw: temples, graves and monuments. Her book "A Thousand Miles Up the Nile" provided the first general archaeological survey of Egypts ruins. It earned her the admiration of the leading archaeologists of the day. This work contains "the substance of a course of lectures on ancient Egyptian subjects recently delivered in the United States of America." Chapters include: "The Explorers in Egypt," "Buried Cities of Ancient Egypt," "Portrait Painting in Egypt," "Origin of Portrait Sculpture and the History of Ka," "Literature and Religion of Ancient Egypt," "Hieroglyphic Writings of the Ancient Egyptians," and "Queen Hatsu, and Her Expedition to the Land of Punt." In very good condition: little shelf wear to boards; lightly rubbed corners and edges; interior is clean and free of marking.