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An entertaining narrative account of the West's fascination with Egypt, laced with anecdote and adventure and with a rich cast of characters including Florence Nightingale. Howard Carter, Lord Nelson, E.M. Forster and more.
Synopsis
From Napoleon Bonaparte with his schemes to control the overland route to India, to tomb-raiders such as Giovanni Belzoni; from scholars like hieroglyph-decoder Champollion to Thomas Cook and his wide-eyed tourists, this narrative illuminates a bygone world and charts the end of imperialism and the advent of Egyptian Independence.