This is a fascinating and very readable history of Ancient Egypt - suitable for family reading or independent reading from mid-grade school and up. The first chapter describes the rediscovery of Ancient Egypt in the late 18th and early 19th century. This is a particularly fascinating account because it describes the amazement of the first Europeans (at the time of Napoleon) to view the great monoliths. The author briefly relates the history of the deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphics which, of course, have provided the text of the history of Egypt which comprises the rest of this book. We found the tale engaging and fascinating.

The only disappointment we had was that there is no mention of the Bible, of Moses, or of the Hebrews enslavement in Egypt. This may be simply because this is a secular text, but it must be partly because the details of how (and when) exactly the Hebrews fit into Ancient Egyptian history is not precisely known.