Amelia Peabody's Egypt

by Elizabeth Peters, Dennis Forbes, Kristen Whitbread

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Mystery, Historical, Reference, Egyptology

329 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Elizabeth Peters is a pen name of Barbara Mertz. She also wrote as Barbara Michaels as well as her own name. Born and brought up in Illinois, she earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. Mertz was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. She lived in a historic farmhouse in Frederick, western Maryland until her death.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amelia Peabody's Egypt. A Compendium. Edited by Elizabeth Peters. 2003. The concept of fiction set in a historical context has always received a certain appeal. Elizabeth Peters takes the genre to the next level by inserting her fictionalized characters into what would others wise be a highly accurate, non fiction historical work. The various contributors to the book paint an accurate portrayal of what life was like for a Victorian woman, living in colonial Egypt at the turn of the last century. Elizabeth Peter's main character, the wife of a famous archaeologist, fades in and out of every chapter, with her modern, supercilious, feminist persona, in many ways becoming a huge, anachronistic, distraction. Peters has basically inserted her targeted audience, progressive thinking, early twenty-something women, into her series of Egyptian mystery novels. This book is
a description of the world, almost a kind of manual, in which her other novels take place. Despite the absurdity, this book surprisingly stands well on it's own. The half dozen contributors are right on mark. Ring master Elizabeth Peters, holding a PhD. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute, proves to be a conscientious historian. The period illustrations and photographs, which number at over five hundred, are exotic, mesmerizing, almost other worldly. Casual readers as well as those interested in the serious study of Egyptian archeology should find this book captivating.

[Gawelleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une très belle façon ludique de découvrir l’époque Victorienne en Angleterre et en Égypte : la colonisation, la science, la place de la femme ... un large spectre est étudié sous le prétexte de nous décrire le monde des Emerson.

[آية · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would’ve given this 5 stars because the photos and info are all really great. But only if you ignore all the orientalism.

I read one Amelia Peabody novel and I wrote a review on it noting its orientalism and Eurocentricity. This book is meant to be a guide on Amelia Peabody’s world—think of it as a compilation of the author’s research notes. And since the novels take place in 19th century Egypt about British Egyptologists, this book is filled with cultural details about 19th century Egypt, Victorian England, and ancient Egypt/Egyptology.

But it is still written from a snobbish white perspective. Even the title hints at it—that this book is about a white woman’s egypt, not Egypt as it belongs to the Egyptians. While there is a lot of material about Egyptian culture, religion, and art, there’s often a judgmental tone about it. When describing any politics or war—like Sudan vs Britain—it always takes the British side. Many Egyptian practices are noted with a sense of disdain. There’s an intentional air of subjectivity about the book, and while I see how it couldve made the material more fun to read, it spoiled the facts with ethnocentrism and orientalism.

It is still a good resource—beautiful photos and interesting facts. But everything must be critiqued and bot taken at face value.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Peabody has become so real to me that I no longer can tell where fact stops and fiction starts, and this book was no help at all in that regard. If anything, it made the Emersons seem less fictional than ever! Still, it was a great help in bringing together a wealth of Egyptology information in a more understandable way than getting it bit by bit in the novels, so it's well worth the read.

[Teri-K · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, if uneven, collection of both fanciful and scholarly articles about the times of Amelia Peabody. The book begins with overviews of British-Egyptian history and archaeology and progresses through general Victorian culture with an Amelia Peabody slant, finishing with listings of people, places, things referred to in the books. The reader needs to be aware that facts and Peabody information are comingled, so don't let your child use this for a school report!

A number of the articles were fascinating, a few over detailed for my non-expert mind. The photographs and intricate sketches were numerous and fascinating. In some of them Victorian women were featured at archeological sites and I had to remind myself "She isn't Amelia". :) I'm glad I was able to get this through the library, I think I would have been disappointed in parts of it if I'd paid for it. On the other hand I plan on rereading several articles before I return it. It's definitely worth searching out for fans of the series. But beware, you'll want to read the books again once you dive into this book.

NB - There are a few errors. For example, Abdullah's statement "What is a woman, that she should cause such trouble for us?" is said to be about Amelia, but Abdullah is speaking about Evelyn. (See Crocodile on the Sandbank.) This is a small thing but fans will catch such errors.

[Natira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Compendium ist ein Mix aus Fakten und Fiktion und so gut der Faktenüberblick auch sein mag, es ist vor diesem Hintergrund als "Nachschlagewerk" nur mit Vorsicht zu verwenden. ;)

Wie der Titel besagt, geht es um Amelias Ägypten, ganz grob und im Wesentlichen also um das viktorianischen Zeitalter bis ca. 1917 (wenn man nach der Angabe der Bände geht, die im Vorblatt genannt werden), wenngleich auch noch 1939 erwähnt wird. Dabei wird nicht nur Ägypten in den Blick gerückt (z.B. natürlich in Bezug auf die Archäologie zusammen mit den politischen Gegebenheiten und britischen Einflüssen, der vorherrschenden Religion, Tourismus etc.), sondern auch Gegebenheiten des privaten Lebens einer viktorianischen Familie wie z.B. Kindererziehung, Gleichberechtigung der Frauen, Literatur(-Quiz), Garderobe, Angestellte. Amelia bzw. die Emersons sind immer in den Darstellungen berücksichtigt: Man erfährt, wo sie gerade waren, welche Erfahrungen sie in der Zeit machten, welchen Einfluss sie - incl. Ramses - auf archäologische Ereignisse hatten etc. Es finden sich außerdem ein Who is Who der Personen (und Tiere) die Relevanz für die Emersons hatten, Redewendungen und Vokabeln englisch/arabisch, ein Überblick über ägyptischen Herrscher und Götter und ebenso eine Sammlung von Amelias Aussagen zu allen möglichen Lebenslagen.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between visiting Egypt in the last couple of years and reading Nefertiti a few months ago, I’ve become quite interested in all things Egypt. I’ve enjoyed the Amelia Peabody series, so I thought this would be fun. It’s what I would consider to be slightly fictionalized non-fiction, as the Emersons are inserted into a quite real history. Some parts were more readable than others, and the ones I enjoyed most were A Splendid Overview of Egyptoloy: Napoleon to World War I; A Commanding Prospective: The British in Egypt, 1884 - 1917; An Expert Analysis of the Principles of Islam as Encountered by the Emersons; A Skillful Overview of Victorian Servants & Their Duties; A Sympathetic Scrutiny of the Victorian Philosophy of Childrearing; Ancient Egypt 101: A Quick Refresher Course; and all of the pictorial essays. The one thing I did think was lacking was information about the time in Egypt after Alexander the Great, such as during Cleopatra’s time. There wasn’t much covered about history after the Pharaohs.

[Marilyn Fontane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amelia Peabody's Egypt, a Compendium by Elizabeth Peters, Kristen Whitbread, designed by Dennis Forbes is a startling book, merging real 19th C British and Egyptian history with comments and material from the Amelia Peabody series of mysteries by Elizabeth Peters. It is written as if the material from her novels were part of real history--which (the real history part) is carefully researched. A naive reader might have trouble telling which is which. But that is part of the fun of the book. It is a nice companion book, but one which I doubt I will ever read again. Chapters cover real Egyptian history, real cultural examples of 19th C. British life, and a smoothing over of incidents to incorporate the novels into actual events.
The point of view is that of Amelia Peabody herself. Yes, many of the ideas are not popular today, but they were at that time, and since the voice is that of the 19th C British, they are appropriately told.
Fun for followers of Amelia Peabody novels, but probably useless (except for the many, many photographs and illustrations) for anyone else.

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Peabody’s Egypt is a wonderful companion to the eponymous series by Elizabeth Peters. A beautifully edited book, with over 350 pages of information, maps and anecdotes and 600+ black & white Egyptology related historical photographs. While the book is primarily aimed to the fans of the legendary sleuth created under the Elizabeth Peters ‘nom de plume’, this is highly recommendable compendium for all those interesting in historical Egypt in general and Egyptology in particular. After all the real author under that pseudonym is not other than late real-life Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, who had a vast excavation and academic experience on the field. Whether as the first book by Elizabeth Peters (spoiler: it will surely not be the last) or as bed-side companion to any of the books in the magnificent Amelia Peabody series, this is well-crafted, beautifully editing, highly enjoyable information volume.

[Catherine Philhower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous book is a must-have for any Peabody/Emerson fan! Chock full of drawings, descriptions, and actual photos of Amelia's beloved late nineteenth Egypt - here you'll find the Valley of the Kings, Dashoor, the Bent Pyramid, and so much more. A sample of the chapter headings includes: "A Splendid Overview of Egyptology", "Amelia Peabody Emerson and the Evolution of Fashion", (!!) "Pictorial Essay: Victorian Visions of Ancient Egypt" . . . the tip of the iceberg. This a good, thick volume with a lot of substance, and I'm pretty sure the narrative never veers off into mundane. It will be on my coffee table, and I'll be paging through it, for years to come.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly very interesting, and mostly non-fictional, exploration of all topics Egyptian in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as some other related articles of interest. I read most of it and skimmed the history, which I was aware of. The plates and illustrations are superb, and I enjoyed particularly the Victorian artistic interpretations of Egyptian themes. The "Emerson" lore was fun too, although some of it (literary quotations) was a little obscure to me. Apparently Amelia is much better read than I am.
I doubt I'll read this again but it was a fun armchair journey through Egypt of the (more or less) Victorian times.

[Carolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there is a lot of information in this reference, it doesn't have an index, so it can be hard to find what you are looking for. It is also not always easy to distinguish between the fictional characters and who was a historic character. Considering the wealth of information, there is not a single map of the region (Egypt, Nubia, Nile). There are a lot of fine engravings and photographs though.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Peabody’s Egypt is a fantastic melding of history (as we now believe it to be) and the fictional exploits of the Emersons. The reader must remember that if any of the Emerson’s are mentioned, that particular section is not factual. The writing, the section arrangement, the photographs, and the engraving prints are all AWESOME!

[Stormy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a super fan of Amelia, I love love loved this book. It has 19th c. engravings of the Nile area and short, descriptive essays of the culture present in that time period. Woven into the copy are references to the fictional family we know and love. It’s not all correct for our own timeline, but I still enjoy the series.

[Karen Keyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun companion for devoted fans of the Amelia Peabody mysteries. Lots of background information on a variety of topics. This isn’t purely factual, the Peabody/Emerson achievements are woven in to the actual history pieces.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting blend of nonfiction about Egypt with fictitious characters inserted into the narrative. I enjoyed all the illustrations, but I got bogged down by too much information in some of the sections.

[Suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun historic materials from the times of Amelia and Emerson as detailed in the series. Starts with Emerson's "diary" of their coming together, as detailed in Crocodile on the Sandbank. Large format scrapbook.

[Libraryassistant · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s about more than just Egypt. Good fun for any fan of the series and an interesting look at the Victorian and Edwardian eras from the viewpoint of archaeology, family, fashion, strong women— and Egypt.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good info and fun fiction mixed with great period pictures.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Debbie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really just looked at the pictures and skimmed the text a bit. Too much information that I was not in the mood for. A good coffee table book.

[Mary Mcqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful blend of excellent history while including the fictional characters Amelia Peabody readers come to expect.

[Aighmi* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun! I love the pretence that the Emersons were absolutely historical figures. Great historical information, as well!

[Henry Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at Egyptology and Egyptian culture in the late 19th century and early 20th century with a few cross references with the Elizabeth Peters books. And great pictures!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Brian Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book about ancient Egypt and the early 20th Century explorations. It would be good background reading for someone planning a visit to Egypt.

[Brenda Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank goodness I decided to read this final book in the Amelia Peabody series. Even though it is more of a history book it still erased the wrongness of book 20 in the inaccurate portrayal of the characters.

[librarian4Him02 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premise: The book provides a background into the culture during which the fictional character Amelia Peabody lived and worked with her husband Emerson in Egypt. This book, geared toward fans of the Amelia Peabody mysteries, contains several essays and illustrations that bring to life Amelia's world, both in Egypt and England.

Why I picked it up: With only one more Amelia Peabody mystery to go, I thought it would be fun to have a little more background on the people, events, and culture described in the books. I would describe this as another review I read said, non-fiction with just a touch of fiction. Amelia and Emerson's contributions are written into the historical, but otherwise factual, articles

Favorite parts: I really enjoyed the essay on household servants and the essay on childrearing in Victorian England.

Final thoughts: I learned quite a lot from this book about the history of Egypt and England just prior to World War 1. It will be interesting to learn more at some point, but for now I"m satisfied and ready to move on to another series.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an Amelia Peabody fan, I give this book 5 stars but as a non-fiction book only 3. It's wonderful to look through and the book gives the reader an idealized vision of those days when archeology was considered an adventure instead of a science. There are plenty of illustrations and photos of Egypt during the turn of the century but the factual information that is given is often times clouded with "jounal entries" from the fictitious Emerson and Amelia.

Speaking from the point of view as an Elizabeth Peters fan; the book is a must read and shows all manner of settings and background information that her characters live in during their storys.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any fan of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, this is a wonderful compendium. It's part factual history of Egypt combined with the characters of the books. There are pictures and short bios of the characters, listed alongpt with actual historical figures. Many of the historical events that take place during the novels are detailed here, enabling the reader of the series to get a greater sense of the culture and political events of the time. It has certainly helped me to get a deeper enjoyment from the novels, and certainly broadened my knowledge of Egyptian history. (And, given that a trip to Egypt is on my schedule for next spring, this is a doubly good thing!)