Jordan Ellenberg, 'How not to be wrong, The hidden Maths of Everyday Live'

This is an excellent book that both covers the relevance of mathematics to everyday life, and explains the maths in a clear and straightforward way. However, this is not a collection of geeky anecdotes and gee-wiz stories; at least for this reader it required some serious thought. Ellenberg is really trying to teach mathematical thought and is not afraid to present material that requires effort to understand, at least for this reader. But please don't be put off, the material is presented in a very direct and jargon-free way, algebra is more or less eliminated. For me, this allowed the author to go to the core of what the issue is about.

There are a number of sections covering things like lotteries, and when to play them; different voting systems; correlations and causality. These are basically extended essays which spread over several chapters, introducing concepts with plenty of historical and literary diversions along the way.

All in all, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend.

Penguin Books, 468 pages

 

 

Jo Marchant, 'The Shadow King, The bizarre afterlife of King Tut's mummy'

As a fan of all thing Ancient Egypt I've watched a lot of big block buster Discovery Channel style archaeology shows, and have often come away with a sense of 'ho hum' was that plausible? Tutankhamen has been shown to suffer from numerous conditions and died in many ways; he's gone from an all action hero killed by a hippo while out hunting, to a sickly inbred cripple. Each program has promised the definitive answer, usually backed up by flashy looking labs and people in white coats. But how good is the science behind these shows, how unambiguous is the evidence? Based on this book the answer to those two questions is 'questionable' and 'very'.

 Staring towards the end of the nineteenth century, the author describes the discovery of the royal mummies, focusing, of course, on the most famous discovery of them all, Tutankhamun. She then goes on to describe each post-mortem examination and the attempts to produce a definitive family tree. A task made much harder by the fact that in several significant cases the identification of the mummy is open to question.

I found the opening chapters fairly weak, especially since they seemed to simply paraphrase other works. However, once the story moved on to the post-mortem examinations the book improved enormously. I thought that Jo Marchant covered the ambiguities of the DNA studies very well, as well the political aspects within Egypt. If at the end no clear historical image appears, Tutankhamen and his family remain as mysterious as before, well that's how it is. Better a known unknown that a falsified truth.

Da Capo Press, 288 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'City of Gold'

Cairo 1942, Rommel is approaching Egypt when a condemned man suddenly receives a new life.  This novel is Len Deighton at his meticulously researched and well written best. In some ways I found this novel different from the others; there is almost a strange sad gentleness about this book. The characters seem misplaced and lost in a rapidly changing world and although there is violence, the end is quietly optimistic.  So maybe not typical Deighton, but well worth the time. Highly recommended.

 Harper, 382 pages

 

 

Aidan Dodson, 'Poisoned Legacy, The fall of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty'

 I thought that this would be a popular style book and began skimming through it on the train. By the end of the second chapter I realized that I was wrong; this book is much stronger meat, the author assumes a certain level of knowledge and attention from the reader. There is no glib storytelling to fill in the details, if what happened is unknown, then that is what we are told. I restarted the book, paying much more attention and was rewarded. This is one of the best books on Ancient Egypt that I have read in a while. Dodson makes no attempt to pad the story and some sections consist of little more than a list of known inscriptions, but for me this added to the interest of the book since I was given an idea of just how sparse the evidence can be. The book is richly illustrated with black and white photos and the writing style is very clear. So not necessarily an easy read, but certainly a rewarding one. Highly recommended.

The American University in Cairo Press, 196 pages

 

 

Richard H. Wilkinson, 'Valley of the Sun Kings, New Explorations in the Tombs of the Pharaohs'

 This interesting volume stems from a conference at the University of Arizona during October 1994. A number of authors were asked to provide papers illustrating the range of exploration and research being undertaken on the royal tombs, and this book is the result. Although not intended for the laymen, I nevertheless found something of interest in most of the papers; and since they were mostly fairly short, the subject changed quite rapidly in any case!

The papers are grouped into three sections; 'Explorations old and new' which covers recent clearance work and analysis of historical and often badly documented excavations; 'Art and Artefacts’ which presents analysis of features within some of the tombs; and 'Restoration and Conservation'.

An interested and surprisingly assessable book.

The University of Arizona Egyptian Expedition, 164 pages

 

 

Alice Stevenson (Ed), 'The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Characters and Collections'

 This enjoyable volume is a guide to some of the more important artefacts in the Petrie Museum, as well as an introduction to the museum, its founders and the work of its dedicated staff. It is divided into numerous short chapters of a page or two in length, which go roughly chronologically through the museum's collection. The writing is good and the illustrations excellent. I particularly appreciated that the post excavation history of many of the artefacts were included. Although I have visited the Petrie Museum, I think that the books stands on its own. Something to dip into for a short chapter on pots or beads, but also on the people whose hard work and dedication led to the artefacts being discovered, identified and displayed.

Highly recommended.

UCL Press, 120 pages

 

 

 

Caroline Moorehead, 'The Lost Treasures of Troy'

The title is rather misleading since the book gave me the impression of being a conventional biography of Heinrich Schliemann with a section on the subsequent history of the treasures tacked on. In truth, I found the subsequent history and the section on the looting of artworks the most interesting part of the book. However, the biographical section, which is the majority of the book, is still good and well worth reading. So, I would still recommend this book.

BCA, 306 pages

 

 

Neil Gaiman, 'The Sandman, volume 6: Fables & Reflections'

The story of the Lord of Dreams continues, this time in a collection of short stories. I prefer the longer stories, so I enjoyed this less than some others in the series. However, it's still good and well worth the reading time.

Vertigo Comics

 

 

Amy Shira Teitel, 'Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight before NASA'

This is an interesting and highly readable account of the pre-NASA days of space flight. Although I was familiar with most of the story, the author did include some unfamiliar material, especially concerning environmental testing from high altitude balloons. I felt it was a pity that the author did not include more concerning the Russian space program, maybe that would simply have made the book too cumbersome. Despite that, I would recommend this book, particularly as a more general introduction to space flight history.

Bloomsbury Sigma, Kindle version

 

 

Christina Riggs, 'Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture, a very short introduction'

It seems a little unfair to criticize a book called ´A very short introduction' for being superficial, but that was my reaction. Although much of the material is interesting, I found the overall effect of the book irritating and bitty. I would have preferred fewer things covered in more detail, or even better the same things in more detail. But then it won't have been ´A very short introduction'.

Oxford University Press, Kindle version

 

 

Hayley Campbell, 'The Art of Neil Gaiman, the story of a writer'

Another Gaiman book, but this about him rather than by him. This is really a fan book, but if you are a fan it's a good read. I enjoyed it. Lots more Gaiman books to read that I didn't know about.

Harper Design, 320 pages

 

 

James S. A: Corey, 'Nemesis Games: Book 5 of The Expanse'

Another volume in the Expense series and a distinct improvement over the previous one. I found the story better paced and enjoyed getting more from the rest of the crew. Although it really just provides backstory and lays the groundwork for the next book, I still enjoyed it. The Expense continues, on to volume six!

Orbit Books, Kindle version

 

 

Miriam Lichtheim, 'Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume 1: The Old and Middle Kingdoms'

This is a technical but very readable collection of Egyptian literature translated into modern English. The material is presented in roughly Chronological order, and grouped according to type. Although not really a popular book, the author provides a clear introduction to each work making them very accessible. In addition, there are extensive notes after each, giving plenty of material for the more technical reader. I found it a bit hard going in places, but much of that came from just ploughing straight through! This is a volume that I will be returning to, but in a more selective manner. Still very highly recommended for Ancient Egypt bibliophiles.

University of California Press, 245 pages

 

 

Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, 'Monstress, volume one Awakening'

'Don't be like the witches Master Ren. They call us monsters because it makes it easier to hurt us. But monsters are people too.'

Meet Maika Halfwolf, a haunted girl with a dark past and maybe a darker future. This graphic novel is the first of what promises to be an excellent series. The story is rich and strange, but also resonant. It is set in a complex and well thought out world, which may be closer to our own than it seems. The characters are great, especially innocent and loyal Kippa and Master Ren the self-serving cat. The artwork is superb and the dialogue excellent. All in all, this is a great graphic novel, and I highly recommend it. Looking forward to volume two.

Image Comics

 

 

Nicholas Reeves and Richard H. Wilkinson, 'The Complete Valley of the Kings'

This book presents a well-structured overview of the tombs of the Royal Valley. There four sections; an introduction to Egyptian funeral practices and the tombs; the explorers; a systematic description of each tomb; the decline of the tombs. Within each section are a number of short chapters of a page or so, making it an easy book to dip into. I learned a lot from this book, especially about the large amount of material which has been found in the robbed tombs and the changes in Egyptian culture which led to their wholesale pillaging. There are a couple of frustrations, but these are due to this being a single volume covering a subject that could fill a library. So overall, highly recommend.

Thames and Hudson, 224 pages

 

 

James S.A. Corey, 'Babylon's Ashes: Book 6 of The Expanse'

Another Expanse novel, the sixth in the series. I enjoyed this one a lot, although in truth I thought that the structure could have been better; the end felt too rushed. Minor gripes apart this was good read, and I will certainly return to the series when the next volume is published.

Orbit, Kindle version

 

 

Rosalie David, 'Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt'

I found this book extremely interesting, although rather badly titled. The book hangs a description of evolving religious beliefs on a historical framework and this effectively makes it a general history of Ancient Egypt with a focus on religion. I wonder if this has contributed to some of the poor reviews the book has received on Amazon. 

Misleading title aside, this is an excellent book. I found a lot of interesting material, all placed together in a single volume. Most interestingly the author discusses the economics of the temples, something that I have wondered about, but have never seen discussed before.

Also, unlike Toby Wilkinson, Rosalie David avoids making value judgements and remains relatively detached from her subject. The style can be a little dry in places, but I still got through the book pretty quickly. My only real criticism is that there could have been more pictures, but what there were, I thought, very well chosen.

So, overall if you are looking for a history of Ancient Egypt with a focus on religion, this is a book for you.

Penguin Books, 487 pages

 

 

Emily Teeter and Janel H. Johnson (eds), 'The life of Meresamun, A temple singer in Ancient Egypt '

This book was written to accompany an exhibition in Chicago highlighting an investigation of the mummy of Meresamun. Despite not have been to the exhibition, I still found this book extremely interesting and very readable. It is divided into chapters that perhaps reflect the organization of the exhibition. Each begins with an informative and well written essay, followed by a catalogue of the items on display, each one being well illustrated and with a paragraph or more of explanation. As well as the obvious funereal aspects, the book deals with the role of women in ancient Egypt, both elite and common, using a mixture of artifacts and documents. I found these different sources were well integrated and overall built up an interesting and coherent picture of female life at that time.

So overall, I would recommend this book. And as an added plus, it can be downloaded free from the Oriental Institute's website.

Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 135 pages'

 

 

David Stuttart, Sam Moorehead, '31 BC, Antony, Cleopatra and the fall of Egypt'

This is a very readable and enjoyable account of the fall of Egypt. Abounding with larger than life characters like, Caesar, Antony, Octavian and of course, Cleopatra, the book reads almost like an ancient 'House of Cards'. Despite that, I felt that the book avoided being sensationalist, and attempted to maintain an objective position; which is hard to do when almost all the remaining records are strongly pro Augustus.

The book is very nicely illustrated, clearly written and overall well worth the reading time. Recommended.

The British Museum Press, 184 pages

 

 

John H. Taylor, 'Sir John Soane's Greatest Treasure, The Sarcophagus of Seti I'

Unlike the proceeding books about Ancient Egypt, this book does not deal with a whole civilization or a moment in history, but instead focuses on a single object, the calcite sarcophagus of the pharaoh Seti I. Discovered in 1817, the sarcophagus was brought to London by Belzoni (whose book 'Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia' is reviewed above) with a view to selling it to the British Museum. In the event the museum baulked at the price and it was sold to the architect Sir John Soane, who installed it in the basement of his London museum; where it remains today.

This short, very readable book puts the sarcophagus in its historical context, describes its discovery, how it came into Soane's possession, and impact that it made on London society.  The largest section of the book is devoted to its main decoration, the so called, Book of Gates. This describes the nightly journey of Re through the netherworld. Each of the twelve hours of are illustrated with clear, if occasionally rather small, drawings and photographs taken from the inside and outside of the sarcophagus. The accompanying text leads the reader through the journey and deftly avoids becoming too obscure. This section alone more than justifies the book.

Leaving that aside, I found the entire book very interesting, and enjoyed reading about the modern history of an ancient artifact.

Highly recommended.

Pimpernel Press ltd, 96 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Declarations of war'

This is a set of short stories set in different wars, ranging from the defenders of Italy facing Hannibal, to two American soldiers lost in Vietnam, to the guards on the US Mexico border. In each case Deighton casts his strange magic. It's hard to characterize the stories since each is so different, although unified by Deighton's cold crisp style. It would be mis-representing these stories to call them war stories, although that is what links them. In some war is in the forefront, in others it is simply something that has made unlikely comrades.

So hard to characterize, but easy to recommend, this is a superb collection.

Harper Collins, 280 pages

 

 W. David Woods, 'How Apollo flew to the moon'

This is an excellent not technical explanation of how the Apollo space rocket got to the moon and back. Non-technical, as in non-mathematical, not as in trivial; in fact I found that it required a fair bit of concentration and regular breaks. Not a book to plough straight through. By making frequent use of mission transcripts and largely following the sequence of the missions, the author manages to provide both convenient narrative framework and a logical order for introducing the various concepts. Most surprisingly, he manages to use the lengthy sequences of numbers and instructions that were read up to the astronauts to enable them to configure the craft prior to each engine burn as a useful device for introducing and then reinforcing critical concepts.

So, if you are interested in space flight and the Apollo program in particular, I think that you will definitely enjoy this book.

Highly recommend.

Springer, Kindle Edition

 

 

Adrian Newey, 'How to build a car'

As the major design input on numerous World Championship winning cars, Adrian Newey is one of the major forces in Formula One over the last twenty or so years. Here, interspersed with autobiographical details, he describes the design process of those cars. It makes fascinated reading. If you have every looked closely at an F1 car it is covered with incredible details, a curved piece here, a little fin there, and each piece has undergone a process of design and optimization. Nothing is there by chance. Newey goes over some of those little pieces, how a design requirement, normally aerodynamic led to, say, a vortex being need in a certain part of the airflow and how after much work, this particular little fin was developed. It's not just the details, Newey goes over the whole design process, from the basic layout, to the tiny details. I found it fascinating.

The book is arranged chronologically, team by team and car by car. Along the way we meet other major players, such as Frank Williams and Ron Dennis. Newey paints a warts and all picture of his collaborations. This adds to the book and gives it a human dimension. Newey is often amusing, and also direct, success came at a price. Newey designed Senna's last car, and that dark Imola weekend, and its aftermath is described in detail.

You need to be an F1 fan to want to read this book, but is you are then I highly recommend it.

 Harper Collins, Kindle Edition

 

 

H.G. Wells, 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'

This may not be the best of H.G. Wells, but it is still a well written and morally complex story. A quick, but worthwhile read.

Part of 'The Ultimate Science Fiction Collection: Volume Three', Kindle Edition by Douglas Editions (2009)