Amelia Peabody's Egypt: 07/15/13

As part of my goal to read my own books, as well as books I have been given as gifts, I spent a lazy weekend reading Amelia Peabody's Egypt by Elizabeth Peters and friends.

I have mentioned before that I maintain an extensive wish list of books I want to read. It's only in the last two or three years that I've made a concerted effort to actually find and read books off the list. Amelia Peabody's Egypt, though, has the honor of being my first wishlist book ever. My mother was also nice enough to purchase it for me that Christmas. While many books linger on my wishlist for months, if not years, this one was there for only a few weeks. Of course, then I neglected to read it for a decade! Sorry Mom!

Amelia Peabody's Egypt is a classic example of a folio. Besides being oversized and full of interesting pictures, it defies easy classification. On the surface it's an illustrated history of Egypt and Egyptology in the years covered by the Amelia Peabody series of mysteries. Except the book tosses in "facts" about fictional characters, including Amelia Peabody Emerson, her husband and their son.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid fan of the series and wants a thematic discussion of the series canon. I would also recommend it for libraries also looking for a complete collection. For armchair Egyptologists, there's nothing "new" in this book except for the fictional elements.

Three stars

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