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This book was recommended by a lecturer in a class I recently took. I’m fascinated by Egyptian art, so thought a book called Reading Egyptian Art would be helpful. I somehow missed the full title of the book when I ordered it, so was surprised to discover that the title also includes the words “A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian Painting and Sculpture,�� which is critical.

This isn’t your ordinary book about Egyptian art. The book is organized by hieroglyphs. The author has selected a number of key hieroglyphs and devotes two pages to each one. One page for each hieroglyph is describes the meaning of the hieroglyph (such as the hieroglyphs for statue or child or rejoice) and on the oppose page will be one or more art works that incorporate the hieroglyph or demonstrate it.

I don’t think this book would suit if you’re looking for an introduction to Egyptian art. There were some entire statues or other works of art the author pointed to as embodying a hieroglyph. But for the most part, he pointed out tiny details in works of art that represent hieroglyphs (e.g., feather of Maat on a plinth). Overall, while the book may help you identify some aspects of various art works, a lot would be missing. On the other hand, if you already know something about Egyptian art, this may prove useful.

I’ve taken a few Egyptian art classes and have read a number of books on the subject. This book definitely made me think, and I do feel I learned a fair amount from it; it’s a useful supplement. That being said, I believe it will work for me more as a reference book than as a straight read.