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From the Pyramids to Tutankhamun: Memoirs of an Egyptologist

by I E S Edwards

Although Edwards is perhaps not a name familiar to many of us, he was a major figure in Egyptology and the work of the British Museum both in Britain and overseas, from the 1940s onwards. His book Pyramids of Egypt was reprinted time and again, a fact that reflects the importance and popularity of his work. This autobiography describes his early life and childhood, his developing interest and schooling in Egyptology and his career at the British Museum. Among his major achievements whilst working for the BM was obtaining permission from the Egyptian government to bring the Tutankhamun exhibition to Britain. His travels throughout Egypt and the rest of Africa, his experiences in the Near East during the war, the expeditions he joined as part of the Egyptian Exploration Society and the encounters he had with influential archaeologists and political figures, are all recounted from memory. His readable style and attention to detail, often recounting conversations word-for-word, make this a highly entertaining read. 349p, b/w pls (Oxbow Books 2000)

Review Quotes

"..highly recommended for anyone with an interest in 20th century Egyptology as told by one of its more famous and engaging practitioners. The amateur and the experienced Egyptologist alike will find a wealth of fascinating information here and come away with a feeling that Edwards has just recounted his life story over a fine dinner."

Anthony Cagle
Aegyptos (Fall/Winter 2006)

"... good stories about the formative years of twentieth-century Egyptology."

Morris Bierbrier
Bulletin of the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East, 14 (2002)

"His jaunty narrative ... maintains the reader's interest, due in no small part to Edwards' unique ability of recounting even minor incidents enthusiastically and in a conversational way."

"A wonderfully modest account of a distinguised life!"

Egyptology Scotland Newsletter, 1 (2001)

"Edwards spent much time abroad in the 1930s and '40s. Several chapters describe his travels in Egypt and the Near East, both as a participant in archaeological fieldwork and on war work for the Foreign Office. These (and later) chapters evoke the vanished world of British colonialism, in which the underlying influence of the class system was stills strong.

No less interesting is the picture of day-to-day work at the British Museum. The pleasures and pains of a curator are faithfully recorded: we share in Edwards' excitement at identifying a papyrus, brought in by a visitor, as a rare type of oracular decree, while (on the 'down-side') he faces the delicate problem of breaking to a wealthy collector that two of his prized antiquities are fakes. ..."

John H Taylor
British Museum Magazine 40 (2001)

"The essence of this book, indeed the delight of it, is the involvement of Dr Edwards in so many things Egyptological, the famous names described that pass by, and the little asides into relevant Egyptological matters and history in relation to the main thread. Then, there is also the slightly mischievous asides, all unassuming, and his great love of cricket that sneaks in from time to time as he makes time to see a particularly famous ground."

Peter A Clayton
Minerva, 12 (2001)

Related Titles

• The Pyramids of Egypt
  by I E S Edwards

• Letters from the Desert
  by Margaret Drower

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