Napoleon to Nasser: The Story of Modern Egypt [Hardcover]

Raymond Flower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2002 | ISBN-10: 1403357463 | ISBN-13: 978-1403357465

The story of modern Egypt is more than just a cavalcade of colourful personalities. To get beneath the skin of the Egyptians themselves it is essential to recognize the pressures to which they have so long been subjected; to understand how, overburdened by history and exiled from power in their own land, they have been elbowed out by foreign manipulation to a point where explosive action was the only remedy.From the time that Napoleon brought Europe to Egypt in 1798, few areas of the globe have aroused more passions than this ancient land. Napoleon's own dreams of glory were short-lived, but he paved the way for Mohammed Ali - the 'rogue' Pasha that Palmerston wanted to 'chuck in the Nile' - to found a dynasty and very nearly take over the whole Ottoman Empire with his fellah armies. Less astute, his son Said was hoaxed by de Lesseps over the Suez Canal concession, and his grandson Ismail precipitated a British occupation with the de facto reign of the hard-line proconsuls such as Cromer and Kitchener.Although the British presence brought prosperity to Egypt and security for monarchs like Fouad and Farouk, it also caused growing frustration to the multiplying mass of the Egyptian people. Finally Gamal Abdel Nasser put an end to the ancien rgime and threw the Europeans out again - to embark on his astonishing career as aspirant leader of the Arab world.In this entertaining book, Raymond Flower unfolds the panorama of events, from the arrival of Napoleon to the death of Nasser, not only as it appears to an historian, but also to the man in the street in Cairo. Well qualified to do so, having lived there for part of the historic span he covers, Mr. Flower has known most of the significant figures in the days of Farouk as well as in the revolutionary Egypt, and thus is able to give an enthralling and well-balanced account of a vital period in recent history.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raymond Flower today lives in a fourteenth-century castle, near Siena, producing Chianti wine and writing articles for magazines. His association with and knowledge of the Middle East dates back over many years. As an infantry subaltern in the Hampshire Regiment he was wounded in Italy and subsequently posted to the Allied Liaison Staff in Cairo. After the War he ran his family's business interests in Egypt, became a member of Lloyds, and made his mark as a racing driver on the European circuits. In 1956 he entered the Egyptian-built Phoenix 2SR6 at Le Mans, Rheims and elsewhere, and in 1960, on the resumption of Anglo-Egyptian relations, he was largely instrumental in setting up the new Ramses popular car factory in Cairo. He still visits Egypt periodically.Raymond Flower was born in 1921. He was educated at Oundle and Magdalen College Oxford, where he read history with A.J.P. Taylor. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: 1st Book Library (October 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403357463
• ISBN-13: 978-1403357465
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,034,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Napoleon to Nasser : a masterpiece, February 24, 2006

By 

midhat Gazale (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Napoleon to Nasser: The Story of Modern Egypt (Hardcover)

I am an Egyptian who has spent considerable time studying his country's modern history (post Mohamed Ali) . This is the best book I have ever read on the subject : erudite, unpretentious and enormously entertaining. The author, an Englishman, spent several years in Egypt. His "story" (he did not say "history")is lucid and warm. Very unusual that an Englishman should write so lovingly of the Egyptian people. His analysis of the ambiguousness of Anglo-French relations as they relate to the middle East is very enlightening. That of American blunders premonitory (The book was written in 1972). I wish Raymond Flower would read my own (modest) book on the subject : "Pyramids Road". American University in Cairo Press. 2004.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book marred by bad editing, February 23, 2011

By 

Marc Jensen (Alamo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Napoleon to Nasser: The Story of Modern Egypt (Paperback)

With recent events in Egypt, I felt a need to fill in some gaps in my education. This book filled that need well. It is well written and, to the general reader, seems a balanced and thorough history of Egypt from roughly 1800 to 1970. Unfortunately, it is marred by one of the worst editing jobs I have ever seen in a book. A few examples from among many instances: Richard III is called "Richard Ill" (p.49); Osman Ricki's last name is spelled both as "Ricki" and "Ricky" on the same page (p. 91); "For the next twenty, seven years ...." (p.123); America's naval base in Hawaii is called "Pearl harbor" (p.135). I can understand one or two typos creeping into a book but the number in this work is absurd --- the publisher, "1stBooks," should be ashamed of their editing or typesetting.