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The Little Book of Ancient Egypt: A Pocket Guide to an Epic Civilization, Including Key Events, People, Trivia and More
If you've ever been interested in the rich culture and unique history of Ancient Egypt, dive into this whirlwind tour and discover the highlights of this exceptional civilization
Unlock the secrets of one of history's most fascinating civilizations with The Little Book of Ancient Egypt. This introductory guide takes you on a journey through a land where pyramids rise against the desert sky, pharaohs rule with divine authority and gods and goddesses walk among mortals.
Within these pages you will
- A whistle-stop tour of the Ancient Egyptian timeline, from the beginnings of the Dynastic Period to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza
- Profiles of some of the most influential figures in politics, art and culture, from Narmer to Hatshepsut to Cleopatra
- An insight into the daily life of an Ancient Egyptian citizen
- The influence of Ancient Egypt on the modern day, from medicine to writing systems to mathematics
And so much more.
In this pocket-sized window into the past, discover the key events, people and trivia you need to know to understand this remarkable period of history.
Unlock the secrets of one of history's most fascinating civilizations with The Little Book of Ancient Egypt. This introductory guide takes you on a journey through a land where pyramids rise against the desert sky, pharaohs rule with divine authority and gods and goddesses walk among mortals.
Within these pages you will
- A whistle-stop tour of the Ancient Egyptian timeline, from the beginnings of the Dynastic Period to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza
- Profiles of some of the most influential figures in politics, art and culture, from Narmer to Hatshepsut to Cleopatra
- An insight into the daily life of an Ancient Egyptian citizen
- The influence of Ancient Egypt on the modern day, from medicine to writing systems to mathematics
And so much more.
In this pocket-sized window into the past, discover the key events, people and trivia you need to know to understand this remarkable period of history.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
About the author
Tom Sykes
50 books3 followersTom Sykes was born in Portsmouth in 1979, and educated at the University of East Anglia and Goldsmiths College. He has travelled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia and worked as a journalist and teacher in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Tom’s writing has appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman, New Internationalist, New African, Red Pepper, The London Magazine, Travel Africa, The Journalist, Globetrotter, The Spark Magazine, Wings of Oman, Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, The Philippines Free Press and Quill, Going Places, GoNomad, The Expat, The Bristol Review of Books as well as in international anthologies such as Small Voices, Big Confessions (2006) and Urban Odysseys: KL Stories (2009). His novel Bad Territory was serialized in Ruthless Peoples magazine beginning in August 2009. Tom has been a staff writer for the US educational publisher World Trade Press.
Since 2005, he has co-edited and contributed to 3 anthologies of hitchhiking stories that have sold 20,000 copies worldwide. The first, No Such Thing as a Free Ride? was serialized in The Times and named The Observer’s Travel Book of the Month.
Since early 2015 Tom has been the co-editor of Star & Crescent, a Portsmouth-based community journalism and hyperlocal news website which recently received a prestigious NESTA grant.
Tom is a Lecturer in Creative and Media Writing at the University of Portsmouth and is pursuing PhD studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has also lectured at the Universities of Liverpool, Philippines and Malaysia and was a Visiting Lecturer at the Eagle Vision Institute, Ghana in 2013. He is a regular performer at spoken word events and his recordings have appeared on Audiobookradio.net and Wildfire Radio.
A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and the National Union of Journalists, Tom won the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Just Back’ travel writing prize in 2011. His ‘Ringroad to Immolation’ was named one of the best online short stories of 2004 by StorySouth.com.
He is currently writing The Bradt Travel Guide to Ivory Coast, a chapter for The Cambridge History of Literature and the Environment and Blood is Thicker in Manila, a memoir of his time surviving a Third World megacity with his then partner and four year old stepdaughter.
Tom’s writing has appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman, New Internationalist, New African, Red Pepper, The London Magazine, Travel Africa, The Journalist, Globetrotter, The Spark Magazine, Wings of Oman, Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, The Philippines Free Press and Quill, Going Places, GoNomad, The Expat, The Bristol Review of Books as well as in international anthologies such as Small Voices, Big Confessions (2006) and Urban Odysseys: KL Stories (2009). His novel Bad Territory was serialized in Ruthless Peoples magazine beginning in August 2009. Tom has been a staff writer for the US educational publisher World Trade Press.
Since 2005, he has co-edited and contributed to 3 anthologies of hitchhiking stories that have sold 20,000 copies worldwide. The first, No Such Thing as a Free Ride? was serialized in The Times and named The Observer’s Travel Book of the Month.
Since early 2015 Tom has been the co-editor of Star & Crescent, a Portsmouth-based community journalism and hyperlocal news website which recently received a prestigious NESTA grant.
Tom is a Lecturer in Creative and Media Writing at the University of Portsmouth and is pursuing PhD studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has also lectured at the Universities of Liverpool, Philippines and Malaysia and was a Visiting Lecturer at the Eagle Vision Institute, Ghana in 2013. He is a regular performer at spoken word events and his recordings have appeared on Audiobookradio.net and Wildfire Radio.
A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and the National Union of Journalists, Tom won the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Just Back’ travel writing prize in 2011. His ‘Ringroad to Immolation’ was named one of the best online short stories of 2004 by StorySouth.com.
He is currently writing The Bradt Travel Guide to Ivory Coast, a chapter for The Cambridge History of Literature and the Environment and Blood is Thicker in Manila, a memoir of his time surviving a Third World megacity with his then partner and four year old stepdaughter.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 22, 2026
Wow, I loved this book! It made ancient Egypt really come to life in a structural and concise fashion. Almost every page is a new informative chapter, while the book is divided into four general parts, which makes it very easy to read. In the end are some suggestions for further reading and watching with brief descriptions, some of which I will definitely check out!
It was very interesting to read the overview of the historical events, and the Egyptian culture, and I was amazed to read about the women’s rights of the time! Really made me appreciate it more. Whenever the question comes up « If you could travel anywhere in time, where would you go? » I would, as a woman, just firmly stay in the present. But perhaps ancient Egypt wouldn’t be too bad ;)
I loved it. It really transitioned ancient Egypt from the static vague mystical ideas you grow up with to a lively society.
The only small remarks I can make are two minor errors. One on page 100 that says « Horus, originally a Greek deity, rose to prominence in the Egyptian pantheon at this time. » while I think the author would have meant this the other way around, as Horus predates the first mentions of Apollo by around 1600 years - as far as I can find.
The other super minor error was one typo, but I thought I’d mention it for a reprint (can’t imagine that at some point it doesn’t need to as it’s a masterpiece) is at page 136 it says « user super-tough materials like granite » while it should say « using ».
Mind you, the only reason these stood out is because the rest of the book was so perfect!
Absolutely worth the read!
It was very interesting to read the overview of the historical events, and the Egyptian culture, and I was amazed to read about the women’s rights of the time! Really made me appreciate it more. Whenever the question comes up « If you could travel anywhere in time, where would you go? » I would, as a woman, just firmly stay in the present. But perhaps ancient Egypt wouldn’t be too bad ;)
I loved it. It really transitioned ancient Egypt from the static vague mystical ideas you grow up with to a lively society.
The only small remarks I can make are two minor errors. One on page 100 that says « Horus, originally a Greek deity, rose to prominence in the Egyptian pantheon at this time. » while I think the author would have meant this the other way around, as Horus predates the first mentions of Apollo by around 1600 years - as far as I can find.
The other super minor error was one typo, but I thought I’d mention it for a reprint (can’t imagine that at some point it doesn’t need to as it’s a masterpiece) is at page 136 it says « user super-tough materials like granite » while it should say « using ».
Mind you, the only reason these stood out is because the rest of the book was so perfect!
Absolutely worth the read!
May 8, 2026
I really enjoyed this, it was so broadly informative in such little space. So in that regard it did what it set out to! It's been awhile since I read anything on Ancient Egypt so this was a great refresher whilst also giving me some more leads that I definitely want to follow. I knocked a star off because sometimes something was repeated and the information felt a bit scattered. Still a solid read though!
February 26, 2026
in my ancient egypt phase, leave me alone
June 28, 2026
all i could do was think of my girl philomena cunk
July 22, 2026
in my ancient egypt phase
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews