Description of Egypt : notes and views in Egypt and Nubia, made during the years 1825, 26, 27, and 28 : chiefly consisting of a series of descriptions and delineations of the monuments, scenery, &c. of those countries

Notes and "views in Egypt and Nubia) made during the years 1825,-26) —27) and —28: chiefly consisting of a series of descriptions and delineations of the monuments, scenery, &c. of those countries; Tbe "views, with few exceptions, made with the camera-lucida Acknowledgments Editor's Introduction A Note on the Text and the Illustrations Description of Egypt Introduction 1. The Harbours and City of Alexandria 2. The Environs of Alexandria 3. Voyage from Alexandria to the Nile 4. Physical Sketch of Egypt 5. Reshee'd, or Rosetta 6. Voyage up the Branch of Reshee'd 7. The Eastern Branch of the Nile, and the adjacent districts, &c 8. Historical Illustrations of the Topography of Musr (or Cairo) and its Environs 9. Boo'la'ck 10. Description of Musr (or Cairo) 11. The Citadel of Musr, or Cairo 12. The Environs of Musr, or Cairo 13. The Moos'lim Dynasties in Egypt 14. History of Mohham' mad 'Al' ee, and of the remarkable events which have taken place in Egypt since its evacuation by the French, in the year 1801 15. The Pyramids of El-Gee'zeh 16. The Pyramids of Ab'oo Seer, Sack'cka'rah, and Dah'shoo'r, and the site, remains, &c., of the City of Memphis 17. Ordinary circumstances of the Voyage up the Nile 18. From Musr to Ben'ee Soowey'f 19. El-Feiyoo'm 20. From Ben'ee Soowey'f to El-Min'yeh 21. El-Min'yeh, Ben'ee Hhas'an, and Antinoe 22. Hermopolis Magna, &c., to Asyoo't 23. Asyoo't, &c., to Gir'ga 24. Gir'ga, Abydos, &c.-Den'dar'a 25. Ckin'e, Ckooft, Ckoo's, &c., to Thebes 26. Thebes Section 1. El-Oock'soor. The Town and Temple Section 2. Kur'nak Section 3. El-Ckoor'neh Section 4. Medee'net Hha'boo, &c Section 5. The Tombs of the Kings. (Beeba'n el-Mooloo'k) 27. Armen't, &c.—Is'na 28. Eilethyia—Ad'foo 29. Geb'el es-Sil'sil'eh—Ko'm Oom'boo, &c., to Aswa'n 30. Elephantine, Aswa'n, the Cataracts, &c 31. Philas, and its environs 32. The Nubians Section 1. General description of the country and history of the Nubians Section 2. The modern Nubians—Nubian agriculture, &c 33. Debo'd, and Ckurda'seh, &c 34. Ta'feh and Ckala'b'sheh 35. Dendoo'r, Gur'f Hhosey'n, Dek'keh, &c 36. Wa'dee es-Sooboo'a, Hhassa'yeh, and Ed-Dir'r 37. Ibree'm, &c.—to Ab'oo Sim'bil 38. Ab'oo Sim'bil, or Absem'bel 39. From Ab'oo Sim'bil to Wa'dee Hhal'fa Supplement. On the Ancient Egyptians 1. Their origin and physical characteristics 2. Origin of the civilization of Egypt 3. On Hieroglyphics 4. Religion and Laws 5. The Priesthood 6. The Kings 7. The Military Caste 8. The Inferior Castes 9. General manners and customs, &c 10. Sacred Architecture, Sculpture, &c 11. Agriculture, &c 12. Manufactures and Commerce List of Illustrations Bibliography

The launching of this hitherto unpublished book by the great nineteenth-century British traveler Edward William Lane (1801-76), a name known to almost everyone in all the many fields of Middle East studies, is a major publishing event. Lane was the author of a number of highly influential works: An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians (1836), his translation of The Thousand and One Nights (1839-41), Selections from the Kur-an (1843), and the Arabic-English Lexicon (1863-93). Yet one of his greatest works was never published: after years of labor and despite an enthusiastic reception by the publishing firm of John Murray in 1831, publication of his first book, Description of Egypt, was delayed and eventually dropped, mainly for financial reasons. The manuscript was sold to the British Library by Lane's widow in 1891, and has only now been salvaged for publication by Dr. Jason Thompson, nearly 170 years after its completion.
This enormously important book, which takes the form of a journey through Egypt from north to south, with descriptions of all the ancient monuments and contemporary life that Lane explored along the way, will be of immense interest to both ancient and modern historians of Egypt, and will become an essential companion to his Manners and Customs.
''Jason Thompson's exact and dedicated edition deserves much praise.''-Astene Newsletter, June 2002.
''Thompson, a historian at AUC, has done signal service in taking a manuscript dating from 1831 and preparing it for publication so many years later; AUC Press deserves praise for making so major a work available, and at so reasonable a price.''-Daniel Pipes, Middle East Quarterly, June 2001.
''In all, the appearance of this major work of scholarship at this late date is a major boon to the study of Egypt's history between the pharaohs and 18280.''-Daniel Pipes, Middle East Quarterly, June 2001.

"Description of Egypt was the product of Lane's first research trip to Egypt from 1825 to 1828. Comprising nearly 300,000 words and 160 illustrations, it is a fascinating and multifaceted work. Its basic structure is a travelogue that recounts Lane's travels through Egypt and Nubia. Onto that framework, Lane added extensive excursions into Egyptian history, geography, city and village life, and especially antiquities, as he presented detailed descriptions of most of the major archaeological sites between Alexandria and the Second Cataract - all in polished prose and pictures." "This book will be of interest to both ancient and modern historians of Egypt, and will become an essential companion to Lane's Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians."--Jacket.