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Egyptomania: Our Three Thousand Year Obsession with the Land of the Pharaohs
The world has always been fascinated with ancient Egypt. When the Romans conquered Egypt, it was really Egypt that conquered the Romans. Cleopatra captivated both Caesar and Marc Antony and soon Roman ladies were worshipping Isis and wearing vials of Nile water around their necks. What is it about ancient Egypt that breeds such obsession and imitation? Egyptomania explores the burning fascination with all things Egyptian and the events that fanned the flames--from ancient times, to Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, to the Discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb by Howard Carter in the 1920s. For forty years, Bob Brier, one of the world's foremost Egyptologists, has been amassing one of the largest collections of Egyptian memorabilia and seeking to understand the pull of ancient Egypt on our world today. In this original and groundbreaking book, with twenty-four pages of color photos from the author's collection, he explores our three-thousand-year-old fixation with recovering Egyptian culture and its meaning. He traces our enthrallment with the mummies that seem to have cheated death and the pyramids that seem as if they will last forever. Drawing on his personal collection — from Napoleon's twenty-volume Egypt encyclopedia to Howard Carter's letters written from the Valley of the Kings as he was excavating — this is an inventive and mesmerizing tour of how an ancient civilization endures in ours today.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 2013
25 people are currently reading
829 people want to read
About the author
Bob Brier
32 books172 followersRobert Brier (born December 13, 1943), also known as Mr. Mummy, is an American Egyptologist specializing in paleopathology. A Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post, he has researched and published on mummies and the mummification process and has appeared in many Discovery Civilization documentaries, primarily on ancient Egypt.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man) in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996 and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities' "Egyptology Today" program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.
In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.
In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later did another series of 12 lectures for them, focusing on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". Brier is a recipient of Long Island University's David Newton award for Teaching Excellence.
He leads tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man) in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996 and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities' "Egyptology Today" program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.
In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.
In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later did another series of 12 lectures for them, focusing on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". Brier is a recipient of Long Island University's David Newton award for Teaching Excellence.
He leads tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 12, 2016
I’ve been looking forward to reading this one ever since Amazon showed it to me in one of their “we know you so well we can shop for you” ads! Of course, this was months and months ago, and it hadn’t actually been published yet, but the kids and I had recently finished Bob Brier’s Great Courses “History of Ancient Egypt,” and I had been delighted by Mr. Brier’s great enthusiasm for his subject. In Egyptomania, that enthusiasm is still going strong!
This is a fun book about the mania for things Egyptian through history, not in an orderly sort of way (the first chapter is about the author’s collection of books, posters, letters, etc., all of which relate in some way to Egypt), but mostly chronological and jumping from great story to great story. The first chapter is actually more of an introduction – how the author’s collection happened and he decided to write the book – and the following chapters trace the fascination for things Egyptian from Herodotus’ writings through the latest tour of the Tutankhamen exhibition. Brier has a knack for telling appealing anecdotes, giving the right amount of background for a general reader, plenty of “human interest” detail, and so much gung-ho excitement about the adventures he is relating that the book just zips along!
The stories about Napoleon’s scientists in Egypt, about the transport of Cleopatra’s Needle to London, and about Howard Carter’s excavations were among my favorites, but, really, it was mostly all enjoyable. I did get a little bogged down in the description of the transport of the obelisk to Central Park – of the three main “obelisk transport” stories, that one got far and away the most space, maybe because the information was available, or maybe because the author is a New Yorker – but even that was enlivened by a very good story about the Masons and their dedication ceremony at the time of the obelisk’s installation! A particularly good section, in Chapter Eight, is about the popularity of “mummy songs” in the early 20th century. Brier explains about Tin Pan Alley and sheet music, and goes on to give samples of wonderfully silly lyrics from some of the top “mummy” hits! Reading them, I could just picture Bertie Wooster playing his piano and caroling away (and Jeeves wincing). Finally, there are three sections of color plates in the book, with pictures of Egyptian themed cigarette cases, cigar boxes, movie posters, jewelry, book covers, sheet music, cologne, party mix, etc. The Wedgewood Egyptian tea service is particularly wonderful -- the tea pot lid is a crocodile – but all of it is interesting in one way or another!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received my copy of Egyptomania for free from the publisher through LibraryThings Early Reviewer program. I promised I would post my opinion of it, and they (LibraryThing) promised that they wouldn’t mind at all if I said negative things. Of course, I wouldn’t have requested a copy if I didn’t think I’d like the book but, anyway, it turned to be just what I expected and quite entertaining.
This is a fun book about the mania for things Egyptian through history, not in an orderly sort of way (the first chapter is about the author’s collection of books, posters, letters, etc., all of which relate in some way to Egypt), but mostly chronological and jumping from great story to great story. The first chapter is actually more of an introduction – how the author’s collection happened and he decided to write the book – and the following chapters trace the fascination for things Egyptian from Herodotus’ writings through the latest tour of the Tutankhamen exhibition. Brier has a knack for telling appealing anecdotes, giving the right amount of background for a general reader, plenty of “human interest” detail, and so much gung-ho excitement about the adventures he is relating that the book just zips along!
The stories about Napoleon’s scientists in Egypt, about the transport of Cleopatra’s Needle to London, and about Howard Carter’s excavations were among my favorites, but, really, it was mostly all enjoyable. I did get a little bogged down in the description of the transport of the obelisk to Central Park – of the three main “obelisk transport” stories, that one got far and away the most space, maybe because the information was available, or maybe because the author is a New Yorker – but even that was enlivened by a very good story about the Masons and their dedication ceremony at the time of the obelisk’s installation! A particularly good section, in Chapter Eight, is about the popularity of “mummy songs” in the early 20th century. Brier explains about Tin Pan Alley and sheet music, and goes on to give samples of wonderfully silly lyrics from some of the top “mummy” hits! Reading them, I could just picture Bertie Wooster playing his piano and caroling away (and Jeeves wincing). Finally, there are three sections of color plates in the book, with pictures of Egyptian themed cigarette cases, cigar boxes, movie posters, jewelry, book covers, sheet music, cologne, party mix, etc. The Wedgewood Egyptian tea service is particularly wonderful -- the tea pot lid is a crocodile – but all of it is interesting in one way or another!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received my copy of Egyptomania for free from the publisher through LibraryThings Early Reviewer program. I promised I would post my opinion of it, and they (LibraryThing) promised that they wouldn’t mind at all if I said negative things. Of course, I wouldn’t have requested a copy if I didn’t think I’d like the book but, anyway, it turned to be just what I expected and quite entertaining.
February 16, 2014
I won a copy of this book from the First Reads giveaways programme.
It was an enjoyable read which covers the history of enthusiasm for Ancient Egypt from the Romans right up to the present day. The high quality illustrations, some in colour, add to the appeal of the book.
Brier's obvious enthusiasm for the subject comes across to the reader, but I found that his approach to it was somewhat selective. There are some large gaps such as between Ancient Rome and the Renaissance which leave you wondering whether anyone was still interested in Egypt during the interim period.
There were also some topics which were covered very well such as movies and others were only covered briefly or were missing from the narrative entirely. Influences on literature were barely mentioned, so there aren't any references to HP Lovecraft's Imprisoned with the Pharoah's or Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile for example. Music was well covered in terms of the Tin Pan Alley era but it would have been nice to see it taken up to the present in order to include the likes of Egypt by Kate Bush, the popular Bangles' hit Walk Like An Egyptian or even Iron Maiden album covers. Similarly there is no discussion of videogames which seemed odd considering the popularity of the likes of the Tomb Raider series.
In summary, a good solid effort, but by no means the last word on the subject.
It was an enjoyable read which covers the history of enthusiasm for Ancient Egypt from the Romans right up to the present day. The high quality illustrations, some in colour, add to the appeal of the book.
Brier's obvious enthusiasm for the subject comes across to the reader, but I found that his approach to it was somewhat selective. There are some large gaps such as between Ancient Rome and the Renaissance which leave you wondering whether anyone was still interested in Egypt during the interim period.
There were also some topics which were covered very well such as movies and others were only covered briefly or were missing from the narrative entirely. Influences on literature were barely mentioned, so there aren't any references to HP Lovecraft's Imprisoned with the Pharoah's or Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile for example. Music was well covered in terms of the Tin Pan Alley era but it would have been nice to see it taken up to the present in order to include the likes of Egypt by Kate Bush, the popular Bangles' hit Walk Like An Egyptian or even Iron Maiden album covers. Similarly there is no discussion of videogames which seemed odd considering the popularity of the likes of the Tomb Raider series.
In summary, a good solid effort, but by no means the last word on the subject.
August 4, 2021
A disappointing book that highlights the subject treatment you get when someone is functioning as an enthusiast and collector, but not a scholar.
Bob Brier is a gifted popularizer with an infectious love of Egyptology, which shows through here as elsewhere. But this is a a barrage of facts and objects from Brier the Egypt fan, not Dr. Brier, the professor of Egyptology. We get loving recounts of the plot of Ancient Egypt-themed movies, beautiful colour plates of Egypt-themed cigar cases, candy, mummy necklaces and so on, and tedious blow by blow account of how each of the obelisks in New York, Paris and London were moved to their current sites that takes up over half the book.
What's missing is anything but a superficial account of why Egypt was so popular in different eras, or how interpretations of Ancient Egypt changed from era to era, and people to people.
Given the book's focus, it might have read better with larger plates and less text, so the sometimes beautiful, often gaudy and always interesting subjects of Brier's appreciation were better highlighted.
Bob Brier is a gifted popularizer with an infectious love of Egyptology, which shows through here as elsewhere. But this is a a barrage of facts and objects from Brier the Egypt fan, not Dr. Brier, the professor of Egyptology. We get loving recounts of the plot of Ancient Egypt-themed movies, beautiful colour plates of Egypt-themed cigar cases, candy, mummy necklaces and so on, and tedious blow by blow account of how each of the obelisks in New York, Paris and London were moved to their current sites that takes up over half the book.
What's missing is anything but a superficial account of why Egypt was so popular in different eras, or how interpretations of Ancient Egypt changed from era to era, and people to people.
Given the book's focus, it might have read better with larger plates and less text, so the sometimes beautiful, often gaudy and always interesting subjects of Brier's appreciation were better highlighted.
February 8, 2014
It looked promising, but I found it ultimately unsatisfying. The enthusiasm is real, and the chronological approach is solid, but it's a book that spends far too much time on items that I don't feel deserve so much detail (I became exceptionally sick of reading about taking down and putting up obelisks). On the other hand, it will spend a lot of time examining Universal's "Mummy" movie in detail...then ignore the cultural impact of movies such as "The Ten Commandments" and "Cleopatra" with throwaway passages. In the end, it's a very odd and disjointed read...and I was hoping for something much more enjoyable.
August 23, 2022
This was an absolutely FASCINATING read! I had no idea so many countries were involved in uncovering so much of Egypt's archeological history. Makes me want to visit the Pyramids next.
February 27, 2022
Thought it would be more mummy facts. Instead it focused on Egypt's place in pop culture and civilization as a whole. Pretty interesting but felt a little embalmed by the end.
June 5, 2024
What is this about? Brier is a great scholar and storyteller, so I was surprised by how flat this book felt. It felt very listy, just looking at collectors of Egyptian stuff throughout the ages.
December 21, 2013
2.5 stars
I really enjoyed Brier's enthusiasm but overall I was disappointed in the book. I appreciated learning about the plethora of Egypt-themed items on the market previously and now. The amount of advertising using Ancient Egyptian themes is pretty incredible, although this was largely many years ago. Overall I understood Brier's interest in collecting the various items but it really just brought attention to the fact that my love of Ancient Egypt has everything to do with the actual history and figures rather than the items created that allude to them. But I will admit to finding some of the items entertaining and worthy of collection.
One of the biggest problems I had with the book was the numerous stories of the moving of obelisks to New York etc. There were approximately 70 pages of this fairly short non-fiction dedicated to the obelisk movements and I must say they were absolutely yawn worthy for me. Perhaps if you also have a keen interest in mechanical engineering and such you may find it more appealing, but really a paragraph per obelisk would have sufficed in my opinion.
I also questioned whether Brier was just talking hypothetical or actually believes that Ramesses is likely the Pharaoh involved in the "Exodus". Hopefully he does not actually believe it because most archaeologists and historians state that it did not happen, even many Biblical scholars. There simply is no evidence and I found it extremely annoying that Brier would even both to connect Ramesses to such nonsense.
I really enjoyed Brier's enthusiasm but overall I was disappointed in the book. I appreciated learning about the plethora of Egypt-themed items on the market previously and now. The amount of advertising using Ancient Egyptian themes is pretty incredible, although this was largely many years ago. Overall I understood Brier's interest in collecting the various items but it really just brought attention to the fact that my love of Ancient Egypt has everything to do with the actual history and figures rather than the items created that allude to them. But I will admit to finding some of the items entertaining and worthy of collection.
One of the biggest problems I had with the book was the numerous stories of the moving of obelisks to New York etc. There were approximately 70 pages of this fairly short non-fiction dedicated to the obelisk movements and I must say they were absolutely yawn worthy for me. Perhaps if you also have a keen interest in mechanical engineering and such you may find it more appealing, but really a paragraph per obelisk would have sufficed in my opinion.
I also questioned whether Brier was just talking hypothetical or actually believes that Ramesses is likely the Pharaoh involved in the "Exodus". Hopefully he does not actually believe it because most archaeologists and historians state that it did not happen, even many Biblical scholars. There simply is no evidence and I found it extremely annoying that Brier would even both to connect Ramesses to such nonsense.
December 28, 2014
I thought this book would mostly be about Ancient Egypt in pop culture, tracing how "Egyptomania" has manifested itself in different time periods to reflect people's changing interests and concerns. And the last part of the book, which talks about various movies, is close to what I expected. But the vast majority of the book is about the engineering required to move ancient obelisks from Egypt to various locations around the world. And in those sections Brier barely touches on "Egyptomania" other than to briefly list some of the varying types of merchandise that were produced after each obelisk arrived at its new home.
This just wasn't what I expected, and while portions of it were interesting, overall I felt it needed a lot more analysis to be a really great read.
This just wasn't what I expected, and while portions of it were interesting, overall I felt it needed a lot more analysis to be a really great read.
February 1, 2014
This was a great read on ancient Egypt and how it has influenced our world from the Greeks and Romans all the way up to today. There's some snarky comments, some great history, lots of coincidences that I had never heard of before, and a fun ride. It's a short book, just over two hundred pages long, and very entertaining. There are lavish illustrations as well. Four stars overall, and a recommendation.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/egypto...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/egypto...
April 6, 2016
I was hoping for a little more in this book. The details of the various obelisks in Rome, Paris, London and New York were interesting but It's nearly the end of the book by the time Tutankhamun is discovered and Briers spends very little time on the explosion of Egyptomania that gripped the world in the 20s and 30s. No mention of Cartier, nothing on the fashion, and very little on the architecture.
More an introduction to Egyptomania than an extensive examination.
More an introduction to Egyptomania than an extensive examination.
October 1, 2024
I've had a touch of Egyptomania most of my life, long before I knew it was a word. I loved to watch the fanciful Egyptian themed movie reruns as a kid (and adult!), replete with pyramids, mysteries, and mummies coming to life. A favorite pendant of mine is a vintage metal Egyptian scene, and one of my favorite mystery novel series features Egyptologist and detective Amelia Peabody. I was drawn to Bob Brier’s Egyptomania like a moth to a flame.
Brier is able to convey his enthusiasm for Egyptian themed objects and historical material. One can feel his delight at a find in a Paris shop or auction. His professional background as an Archaeologist enables him to link Egyptomania with Egyptian archaeological events with the authority of an expert. His enthusiasm and ability to bring historical engineering feats to life will have you cheering each time an obelisk is successfully moved and feel the heaviness of defeat when things go wrong.
As you follow Brier through the years, he carefully links the peaks of Egyptomania with the events that triggered each new wave of Egyptomania. There is a lot of time devoted to describing the feats of engineering in moving the various monoliths to various countries. However, there are also plenty of fascinating details on the various Egyptian inspired objects, from dinnerware, to jewelry, to tobacco tins and more. Briar’s book shows how Egyptomania pervaded all aspects of culture – from fashion to manufacturing, to art and even music. An engaging and enlightening read!
Brier is able to convey his enthusiasm for Egyptian themed objects and historical material. One can feel his delight at a find in a Paris shop or auction. His professional background as an Archaeologist enables him to link Egyptomania with Egyptian archaeological events with the authority of an expert. His enthusiasm and ability to bring historical engineering feats to life will have you cheering each time an obelisk is successfully moved and feel the heaviness of defeat when things go wrong.
As you follow Brier through the years, he carefully links the peaks of Egyptomania with the events that triggered each new wave of Egyptomania. There is a lot of time devoted to describing the feats of engineering in moving the various monoliths to various countries. However, there are also plenty of fascinating details on the various Egyptian inspired objects, from dinnerware, to jewelry, to tobacco tins and more. Briar’s book shows how Egyptomania pervaded all aspects of culture – from fashion to manufacturing, to art and even music. An engaging and enlightening read!
January 21, 2023
My love for Bob Brier knows no bounds, but this one was a mixed bag. Great premise and great opening chapter wherein Brier tells the story of his obsession with all things ancient Egypt and treats his readers to color photos of many of the gloriously kitschy items in his Egyptiana collection. But things drag a bit as he tries to trace the history of the Egyptomania phenomenon. It's not that he's not describing a real thing, but it turns out the story of 18th and 19th century Egyptomania just isn't that interesting (although again, the photos are delightful). He really gets bogged down telling the story of Cleopatra's Needle coming to New York City - more than 40 pages of excruciating detail, of which some was interesting as social or engineering history, but very little shed light on his central premise. He gets back on track for the last few chapters when he's talking about 20th century Egypt-themed pop culture, starting with the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922. I'd say stick with Brier's straight history material as this just didn't quite land. A last note -I recommend skipping Zahi Hawass's introduction which, true to form, has everything to do with Zahi Hawass and nothing at all to do with Bob Brier or the book he is supposedly introducing. Hawass has never met a medium he couldn't make about himself. **eye roll**
March 10, 2023
As an Egypt enthusiast, I liked this book. I enjoyed the history of how Egyptomania rose through culture through historic events, such as Napoleon visiting Cairo and the discovery of mummies in The Valley of the Kings. I also enjoyed learning about the Victorians fascination with all things Egypt and all the merchandise that has been developed over the years to capitalise off of the populations obsession.
The obelisks are indeed fascinating, but the reason I have rated this book three stars is because the account of each one’s journey and placement in Europe and the US is a bit tedious. It is just too detailed for me, since I don’t really care about how many hydraulic jacks it took to erect it. Maybe that’s just me, but I found these chapters hard to read, and they take up a large chunk of the book. I mean, there are three of them discussed!
I recommend it if you’re interested in Egypt, as long as you can tolerate the obelisk chapters.
The obelisks are indeed fascinating, but the reason I have rated this book three stars is because the account of each one’s journey and placement in Europe and the US is a bit tedious. It is just too detailed for me, since I don’t really care about how many hydraulic jacks it took to erect it. Maybe that’s just me, but I found these chapters hard to read, and they take up a large chunk of the book. I mean, there are three of them discussed!
I recommend it if you’re interested in Egypt, as long as you can tolerate the obelisk chapters.
March 20, 2024
The parts on real Egyptomania, from ancient times to good and bad movies of our days, are enjoyable. But much of the book is devoted to the mechanics and history of Egyptian obelisks' transfer to Europe (it's not about the obelisks themselves, which would be great, but how they were lowered down, packed, transferred, lost, found again, finally delivered, raised, and installed somewhere else), with so many irrelevant to the main topic details, that it becomes tiresome. Which could be a paragraph or two, takes at least several chapters. So, the rating. It's clear that the author fancies old engineering practices not less (if not more) than Egyptomania itself.
Overall, popular and quick read. Nothing serious or truly educational, but a bit inspiring to get something on Ancient Egypt's history.
Overall, popular and quick read. Nothing serious or truly educational, but a bit inspiring to get something on Ancient Egypt's history.
July 22, 2017
I was particularly interested in the chapter on the assertion that the ancient Egyptians were black. The author cited all the relevant resources, including William Blyden, WEB DuBois, Cheikh Anta Diop of Senegal, David Walker, George GM Jones, Martin Delaney, William Wells Brown. Diop's Seminal work, "The African Origins of Civilization...(1974) had been influential . I would like to read this chapter again to assess the author's conclusion on this controversial issue, before I add the book to my planned Africana Bibliographic Blog. This blog will discuss Africana books of general interest.
November 15, 2017
Unfortunately for me this was a massive disappointment.
The actual phenomenon of egyptomania comprises probably 20% of the book - the rest is a depiction of how western countries managed to get wraped up in this egypt fascination through the lenses of egyption obelisks being move to and from certain countries.
Whilst I understand that the context in necessary, the context was more explored that the actual phenomenon. Someone that is more interested in the technicalities and mechanics will definitely enjoy this book more, but for someone like me that was interested more in the perception and fascination itself, I found the book was lacking.
The actual phenomenon of egyptomania comprises probably 20% of the book - the rest is a depiction of how western countries managed to get wraped up in this egypt fascination through the lenses of egyption obelisks being move to and from certain countries.
Whilst I understand that the context in necessary, the context was more explored that the actual phenomenon. Someone that is more interested in the technicalities and mechanics will definitely enjoy this book more, but for someone like me that was interested more in the perception and fascination itself, I found the book was lacking.
March 1, 2022
It’s fine. There’s a lot of good info on the moving of obelisks and Napoleon but the rest of the book feels a bit random. Large portions of time are spent on Egyptian themed music (which doesn’t work great in a book) and cigar cases, a small amount of time is spent on a bunch of films but the90s Mummy films are barely given a sentence (and what they’re given is dismissive).
There’s basically no discussion of Europeans looting the tombs for souvenirs, black market selling, fakes, mummy medicine, mummy paint, the possibility of mummy unwrapping parties, or any of the darker parts of earlier collections.
There’s basically no discussion of Europeans looting the tombs for souvenirs, black market selling, fakes, mummy medicine, mummy paint, the possibility of mummy unwrapping parties, or any of the darker parts of earlier collections.
June 14, 2021
Obsession with Ancient Egypt is a very old phenomenon . . .
The author admits to obsession with Ancient Egypt, and since collecting ancient artifacts is problematic when not simply illegal, instead he collects artifacts of Egyptomania - the obsession with Ancient Egypt used as a marketing device and a source for inspiration for jazz songs and so much more. Brief recounts ancient Egyptomania - the Greeks had their obsessions, the aromas theirs, the Renaissance, and the Victorian and early 20th century each had their unique bouts of Egyptomania. Fun reading!
The author admits to obsession with Ancient Egypt, and since collecting ancient artifacts is problematic when not simply illegal, instead he collects artifacts of Egyptomania - the obsession with Ancient Egypt used as a marketing device and a source for inspiration for jazz songs and so much more. Brief recounts ancient Egyptomania - the Greeks had their obsessions, the aromas theirs, the Renaissance, and the Victorian and early 20th century each had their unique bouts of Egyptomania. Fun reading!
June 24, 2018
This book was somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star read for me. It was entertaining and informative but some of it was a little lack lustre. Brier spends a lot of time on certain areas while glossing over others. It comes as no surprise that he has written a book about the obelisks in Paris, London and New York. I will say that his topic is an enormous one and he could have probably written a book of 400 pages and still have barely touched on the fascination and memorabilia of ancient Egypt.
July 7, 2020
I was so excited to read this book. I became a Bob Brier fan after listing to his Egypt’s Great Course in Audible. It was so light, humorous and easy to grasp, I wanted more.
So Egyptomania was chosen. I can hear him reading the words, has the same wit of the audible, but this book is more about obelisks being transferred than anything else. If you love sailors tales, the book is for you. If not... good luck to making to the end.
So Egyptomania was chosen. I can hear him reading the words, has the same wit of the audible, but this book is more about obelisks being transferred than anything else. If you love sailors tales, the book is for you. If not... good luck to making to the end.
September 16, 2024
Bob Brier is a great communicator on all matters of Egyptology and makes things interesting, fun and accessible for the lay reader. Here he writes about the world's fascination with Ancient Egypt, and how it has continued down the ages in a clear and concise style, but he is equally engaging when he focuses on Ancient Egypt and Egyptology itself. I recommend seeking out his other work, including his recorded lectures.
September 29, 2019
I want this to be better than it was, and parts of it were very good. The book contains great anecdotes about the obsession with ancient Egypt. Then there are endless pages about the engineering science behind moving obelisks. I finally skipped pages because I just didn't care.
June 28, 2020
The first Great Courses lecture series I watched was Bob Brier's History of Ancient Egypt. Not only was I hooked on that method of learning, but I enjoyed Dr. Brier's clear and enthusiastic method of teaching. He carries that clarity and enthusiasm into his writing. A very enjoyable read.
July 20, 2021
I've always been fascinated with ancient Egypt, and this is a fun recounting of the ways westerners have embraced versions of that history over the centuries. Push past the tedious collectors' anecdotes early in the book -- it gets better.
May 22, 2023
Pretty interesting! I would have liked more on various pop culture influences (beyond sheet music, movies and tobacco packaging) and less highly detailed descriptions about how various obelisks were moved and installed overseas.
March 29, 2025
A somewhat interesting primer but one that doesn’t really address the why of our fascination with much depth or acknowledge the challenge of the power imbalance between more recent Egyptomania experiences and their Egyptian contemporaries.
February 22, 2018
Brilliant overview of the world's obsession with ancient Egypt by a world famous Egyptologist.
June 25, 2018
A nice and more modern view of Egyptian History as it can be seen through our culture and relationship with Ancient Egypt.
June 29, 2020
Mostly about obelisks, a bit about mummies, films and Tutmania
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews