Review by Choice Review
Prolific Egyptologist Brier (Long Island Univ.) is a prodigious collector of Egyptian books, music, films, and bric-a-brac, and that material forms a large part of his book. He briefly defines Egyptomania as "the extreme fascination with all aspects of ancient Egypt" with an epigram at the beginning of his second chapter. That is a good definition. Particularly unique are his discussions of how tobacco companies appropriated Egyptian themes and how Tin Pan Alley and other producers of popular music used Egyptian themes, particularly those inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. A third of the book tells the story of the obelisks moved to Rome, Paris, London, and New York. Napoleon and his scientists' expedition to Egypt get an obligatory chapter. There is also a concise chapter on films with Egyptian or Egyptological settings. In terms of covering the history of Egyptomania, the narrative skips from ancient Rome to Napoleon in 1798. But what about Hermetism, which survived through the Middle Ages and reignited during the Renaissance; what about medieval Islamic Egyptomania; or what about occult, pseudohistorical, or Afrocentric Egyptomania? Brier provides a nice introduction to Egyptomania's material culture but neglects the world of ideas that it inspired. Summing Up: Recommended. General, public, and undergraduate libraries. R. Fritze Athens State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Since before Julius Caesar and Marc Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, Europeans (and, later, Americans) have been fascinated by the culture and fashion of ancient Egypt. Knowledge about Egypt declined after the fall of Rome, but by taking his army to the valley of the Nile in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte renewed the Western obsession with pyramids, mummies, hieroglyphs, scarab jewelry, and other Egyptian antiquities. The French general's soldiers combed through ancient sights for exportable goods while his scholars wrote copiously about Egyptian architecture, culture, history, and mythology. By the end of the nineteenth century, Paris, London, and New York had acquired huge obelisks from Alexandria or Luxor, and Egypt-crazy consumers bought cigarettes, soaps, sheet music, and other items with Egyptian trade names and illustrations. Today, the craze continues: Ancient Egyptian-themed museum exhibits and blockbuster movies still attract enthusiastic fans, many eager to buy licensed collectibles. Known for his popular television programs about ancient Egypt, Brier recounts what he calls Egyptomania past and present in this engaging social history.--Roche, Rick Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Brier (senior research fellow, Long Island Univ.-C.W. Post Campus; The Murder of Tutankhamen) presents an enthusiastic and succinct history of the lure of Ancient Egypt. After relating the birth of his own interest, he goes back to Herodotus's visit in 450 BCE when Egypt was already considered "ancient," then leaps to 1798 when Napoleon arrived in Egypt, the Rosetta Stone was discovered, and Europe generally rediscovered Ancient Egypt as Egyptian imagery populated the decorative arts (the book is well illustrated). In following the literal shifting of Egyptian obelisks to Rome, London, and New York, Brier tracks the spread of Egyptomania. He covers technical engineering details and, more accessibly, the many ways that Egypt has been commercialized, with Egyptian motifs used on everything from soap to sewing needles to movie theaters. Brier clearly describes the rise of the cult of Egypt in films themselves, such as the many movies involving mummies. He speculates only briefly on the reasons why Egypt is so popular as a cultural archetype; perhaps he could have explored the question more. Brier focuses less on high art and the Egyptian Revival among elite tastemakers and more on popular culture. Verdict Likely to have a built-in readership among fans of its subject and to draw in new enthusiasts as well.-Linda White, Maplewood, MN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A leading Egyptologist explains how a 4,000-year-old culture continues to fascinate. Brier (Senior Research Fellow/Long Island Univ.; The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man's Obsession Led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt's Greatest Mystery, 2009, etc.), known as "Mr. Mummy," contends that ancient Egypt excites people in ways no other country can, possibly due to the age, monuments like the pyramids, mummified rulers or something less concrete. When asked for their greatest attractions, he writes, nearly all museum curators will answer, "Egypt and dinosaurs." Brier is an expert on mummies and mummification and also collects objects associated with ancient Egypt. Some, like the letters Howard Carter, the discoverer of Tutankhamen's tomb, sent his sponsor, Lady Amherst, are close to his professional expertise. Others, like the packaging for Kamut breakfast cereal or sheet music for songs like "Old King Tut was a Wise Old Nut" or "Cleopatra had a Jazz Band," reflect more of the popular interest exploited by marketers and entertainers. Brier became convinced that there is a kind of stratification in the production of these mass-market objects that is related to the different phases of the growth of knowledge of ancient Egypt. In the modern era, the beginning is marked by Napoleon's ill-fated invasion and the first large-scale scientific expedition. The author shows how the transport of three obelisks--to France, Britain and the United States--in the 19th century shaped a culture in which coverage by news media heated up public enthusiasm for all things Egyptian. There followed dinner sets, ladies' fashion accessories, sheet music and hit songs, and movies about mummies. Brier is sure that the fascination will continue. A lively account combining history and popular culture with guidelines for possible future collectors.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
