Reason for the BookOn first visitin

Reason for the BookOn first visiting Egypt a few years ago, we really wanted a quick and easy way of learning hieroglyphs so that we could enjoy our visit to the ancient monuments even more. We later embarked on writing The Keys of Egypt, the incredible story of the struggle to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and the rediscovery of ancient Egypt. We managed to teach ourselves hieroglyphs, but it was not an easy task, as the available books were either very scholarly, out-of-date or far too simplistic. We have tried to fill that gap by writing a book that will give enough information for anyone visiting Egypt or just wanting to have fun with hieroglyphs. Always a popular subject with people of all ages, Egyptian hieroglyphs are a constant source of amazement – so beautiful and yet so mysterious. For over 4,000 years the picturesque and mystical signs were used by scribes to write letters, accounts, poems, magic spells, curses and even graffiti. Often carefully carved and painted in bright colours on the walls of tombs and temples in Egypt, hieroglyphs hold a particular fascination because many of them are recognisable as accurate if simple pictures of animals, people and objects. The Little Book of Egyptian Hieroglyphs gives clear and simple explanations of the different types of signs, so that you can immediately begin to read, write and enjoy hieroglyphs. It also explains how the hieroglyphic writing system works, avoiding the specialist jargon of Egyptologists. With numerous examples of hieroglyphs and easy-to-identify pictures of gods and goddesses, this book is essential to anyone wanting to know about Egyptian writing – and will show how anyone from Adrian to Zoe can write their own name in hieroglyphs!