Egyptian Grammar (Dictionary) [Hardcover]

Sir Alan Henderson Gardiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1957 | ISBN-10: 0900416351 | ISBN-13: 978-0900416354 | Edition: 3rd,REP

Although the first edition of the study appeared over seventy years ago, Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar remains the most comprehensive presentation of Middle Egyptian available, and is still an essential reference tool for all advanced work in the language. The latest, third, edition, appeared in 1957 and is now in its tenth reprinting. After each new element of grammar the learner is given a set of exercises, and the book also contains useful resources such as a list of hieroglyphic signs and information about the development of the language.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English

Product Details

• Hardcover: 682 pages
• Publisher: Griffith Institute; 3rd,REP edition (January 1957)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0900416351
• ISBN-13: 978-0900416354
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > African > Instruction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have the will, this is the way..., September 4, 2001

By 

Brian D. Baird "abaddonVSM" (Manama, Bahrain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Egyptian Grammar (Dictionary) (Hardcover)

As the student (or aspiring sesh-per-ankh) may have judged by the price, this is meant to be a college textbook. On the bright side, don't worry about backorders-- a fourth edition is on its way for next semester to provide the necessary kickbacks for the professors.

Where was I? Ah-- I own quite a few books on hieroglyphics, but this is truly the only one I would recommend to a fellow aspiring scholar. Other books are either impossible to understand or treat the student like a complete idiot while providing little useful information. This covers everything from sentence structure, to developing a proper handwriting style (they are sacred symbols, afterall), to (most importantly) exercises which emerse the student into the language gradually. And, thankfully, this book has the most complete sign lists, glossaries, and indexes I have seen.

Learning to read hieroglyphics is, of course, no easy task (I myself have just scratched the surface). With variations in the language starting from near-antedeluvian times, I would imagine it is much like a foreigner trying to learn all the idiosyncrasies of English merely by reading a book-- only with an alphabet consisting of more than 6,000 characters!

This is the book that the serious student should purchase. It is also the only one you will need.

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal text on an intriguing subject, December 29, 2000

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Egyptian Grammar (Dictionary) (Hardcover)

When I was a little girl I wanted to learn Egyptian hieroglyphics in the worst way. In 1970 I had that opportunity, and I've always treasured the experience. Gardiner's grammar was the book we used, and it's still one of the most seminal texts on the subject. It includes gradually more complex grammar and exercises that train the student to transliterate and translate from the Egyptian to English and from English into Egyptian. For the professional, or the amateur enthusiast, sidebars give additional information on unusual word forms and make textual references to epigraphic data/research to be found in journal sources, most particularly the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. The appendicies include extensive sign lists in catagorical form that are easy to use. They also include a fairly extensive vocabulary which, along with Faulkner's Dictionary, makes a useful resource for translating the more common texts. This is no small amount of work, however, the volume is several hundred pages long and gets into some very arcane phrases and usages. The person more intrigued than enthused by heiroglyps should probably look for a book called Egyptian Hieroglyphics by Patrick F. O'Mara. For the person who really gets into it, I'd suggest the book Middle Egyptian Stories by Aylward M. Blackman, a truely delightful book of short stories in hieroglyphic form.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book any scholar knows and any interested one should know, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Egyptian Grammar (Dictionary) (Hardcover)

Sir Alan's work is "the book" for any interestedperson. It's a milestone not only in the study of Egyptian language,but in modern philology. Maybe the style is old looking, but good language is understandable, no matter when it was written. Its "antiquate style", makes it even more interesting to be read. To me, it was easy to read even when, as a hi school student, I've seen a copy in Venice's State library. Thanks to Gardiner's book I've started my egyptological studies. It was in 1974 and I was 16 years old. It's an expensive book, but each page is worth its price. A necessary complement to the Grammar is "Egypt of the Pharaohs - an introduction", where Sir Alan guides us through ancient egyptian history, always under some linguistical and philological point of view. I don't exaggerate if I say that who owns this book owns a little bibliographical and cultural monument.