Customer Reviews

A Short History of Modern Egypt

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The one review posted before this one states very incorrectly that there is no analysis or theme -- this is simply untrue. At the very outset, on the first page of the preface, the author describes themes and overarching insights drawn from the study of Egyptian history.
I learned a great deal from this 147 page book. It covers the last 1400 years or so of Egyptian history in a pleasantly phrased and lucid text. I had some knowledge of the subject but it was skimpy and full of holes before I read this. The book filled in the gaps and answered questions I had wondered about. I was especially grateful for the chapter on the Mamluks--it illuminated a period about which it is difficult to find a good general overview.
It is a fast read but does not condescend.
One gets a lot of value for the time put in to reading it!

This book is more of a historical guide to the modern history of Egypt than a "history" itself. The (selected) facts and persona are taken in a chronological succession, being merely described but not analysed in-depth. So that it is only helpful as a resource for checking dates and names, but it is just disappointing as for the actual historical, political and social forces that gave form to present-day Egypt, her position in contemporary world and her most accute problems (among which the "identity"-problem: Muslim or Western Egypt?).