At first glance the Idiots Guides look like, well, "insert name here" for dummies, and in a sense they are. But that's also what makes these books a really good read for beginners stumbling into Egyptian studies. It strips it down to the bare essentials, making it easy for the lay-person to understand by using graphs, charts, sidebars, and oodles of illustrations. It helps that the book is written by an Egyptologist with a clear love for the subject.
Complete offers a concise overview of the culture and history of Egypt from Dynastic times up to the Moslem conquest. Considering the vast stretch of time covered this is no mean task. Yet Dr. Ryan is clearly up to it, for he manages to bring to life the ancients through dicussions of their daily life including agriculture, clothing, food, entertainment, and politics, showing that there was much more to this great civilization than just the tombs and temples that forms so many people's perception of them. Through humor and plenty of good common sense he lays to rest many of the notions that plague any budding student of Egyptology, such as the old saw about aliens building the pyramids, the Atlantis connection, and all the crap introduced by the likes of Madame Blavatsky and Edgar Cayce. Of course, he isn't immune to his own fuzzy thinking, especially in connection with the Exodus story which he accepts pretty much at face value from the Bible, despite the fact that there is little corroborating evidence for it outside of Scripture. The author's avowed Christianity does not stop him from presenting a very sympathetic account of Egyptian religion and mythology, and the book includes a handy reference guide to many of the more important Neteru. Of personal interest was the discussion on how difficult it is to become an archaeologist and the trials one faces when they try to get permission to dig in Egypt. It was heart-wrenching to read about all of the treasures which are being lost due to pollution and reckless tourists, and the archaeological sites which are presently under water, or soon will be. It also includes an excellent bibliography and collection of websites that one can consult for further study.
This is a book that I certainly wouldn't recommend for an advanced student - there are plenty of better volumes out there for that - but it's a great introduction for the novice and the humor potential of the title alone is worth having it on one's shelf. Plus - and this may be something unique to our copy - for some reason the book smells really good!
