The Keys of Egypt: The Race to Crack the Hieroglyph Code (Paperback)

by Lesley Adkins (Author), Roy Adkins (Author) "The house at 28 rue Mazarine, where Jean-Francois Champollion lived and carried on his research into hieroglyphs, was less than 200 yards from the Institute..." (more)
Key Phrases: hieroglyphic grammar, phonetic hieroglyphs, hieroglyphic decipherment, Rosetta Stone, Academy of Inscriptions, Thomas Young (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Lesley and Roy Adkins have written a classic." -- The Mail on Sunday (London)

"Of wide interest to students of ancient history and cryptology…and to anyone who enjoys a bookish detective story." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The Keys of Egypt is a worthy tribute to the man who named--and unlocked--the Valley of the Kings." -- Daily Mail (London)

"The authors have done great service to Champollion. Their biography is graphic, gripping and a great read." -- Birmingham Post

...a dramatic scientific quest... -- Publishers Weekly

A ripping tale of obsession and rivalry. -- The Sunday Telegraph (London)

A riveting account of the race to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. -- New Scientist

Champollion's achievement...is laid out lucidly in this thrilling account by husband-and-wife historians Lesley and Roy Adkins. -- Michael Browning, Palm Beach Post

Review
"The authors have done great service to Champollion. Their biography is graphic, gripping and a great read." (Birmingham Post )

"The Keys of Egypt is a worthy tribute to the man who named--and unlocked--the Valley of the Kings." (Daily Mail (London) )

"A riveting account of the race to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs." (New Scientist )

"Champollion's achievement...is laid out lucidly in this thrilling account by husband-and-wife historians Lesley and Roy Adkins." (Michael Browning, Palm Beach Post )

"...a dramatic scientific quest..." (Publishers Weekly )

"The Keys of Egypt is a worthy tribute to the man who named--and unlocked--the Valley of the Kings." (Daily Mail (London) )

"Lesley and Roy Adkins have written a classic." (The Mail on Sunday (London) )

"A ripping tale of obsession and rivalry." (The Sunday Telegraph (London) )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060953497
• ISBN-13: 978-0060953492
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,251 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jewel of the Nile, February 7, 2002

By	Sonny Singh (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews

My strong facination with the subject of ancient Egypt led me to pick up this book. The decipherment of heiroglyphics is something most people find facinating...Having been to Egypt over 10 years ago, I was captivated by these symbols and always wondered how it was humanly possible to decipher them. Upon reading the summary of the book, I instantly knew the plot was one filled with adventure, intrigue and above all; knowledge.

What I found most appealing about the book, was the main character the authors focused on; Mr. Champillion. I found his persona absolutely amazing...not only was he a born genius in linguistics (having mastered numerous languages at a very young age), but he was "driven" to say the least, in conquering this elusive ancient langauge which he believed would unlock history's secrets and reveal mysteries that until then, were very unknown to men...

As one reads the book, you can't help but feel sorry for Mr. Champillion...at times, it seems he is never going to succeed due to the overwhelming odds he had to conquer in his lifetime. He faced down life-long poverty, numerous political regimes who were against him, not to mention the countless critics who tried to downplay his achievements. On top of that, he suffered from ill-health from day one and was often wracked with pain on an ongoing basis. However, whatever the difficulties, he was able to conquer them and succeed in bestowing one of the greatest gifts ever given to the world at that time and in the present.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's use of historic content, particulary that of which was associated with Napolean and his drive to conquer Egypt and it's secrets. It's was from Napolean's conquest of Egypt and subsequent ejection from the country by the British, that the world became "infactuated" with anything Egypt...thanks to Napolean and the artifacts he brought back from Egypt, people like Mr. Champillion were able to take a simple facination with Egypt and turn it into something truly academic.

Anyone interested in the subject of Egypt, linguistics or history in general, will really take a liking to this book. I know I did!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A ripping tale of obsession and rivalry., December 31, 2001

By	Edward Alexander Gerster "miamibooks" (South Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is not only as a biography of Champollion this book deserves high marks. It is a a riveting intellectual detective story, bringing vividly to life one of the milestones of scientific achievement, and afascinating tale of Europe's fascination with ancient Egypt in the years following Napolean's excursions there. Highly readable, and dramatically entertaining, the authors have made a very specialized subject into a fascinating story of discovery.

Also recommended in Egyptian History: The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A, January 14, 2002

By	Claus Hetting (Gentofte, Copenhagen Denmark) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is wonderfully informative and entertaining book. While being a very good biography of Mr. Champollion, it also brings vividly to life a whole era of French history from around 1800 and 40 years on. While Champollion is well known in France, he is perhaps less so in English-speaking countries, and this book aids in rectifying this situation. Some other striking issues in the book is 19th Century whole sale looting of Egypt for relics, something that is entirely horrific to modern people. I wonder how it would feel to be the first modern person able to read inscriptions representing 3000 years of ancient history...!?