Customer Reviews

How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A step-by-step guide to teach yourself

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A brilliant book which is clear, easy to understand, and simple enough for anyone who is dedicated and has an open mind to learn from. I am only 16 years old, so if I can already read simple offering formulas and descriptions of ethical behaviour, most people can. It gets harder as the book progresses but not too hard that I get stuck, and if I am desperate, there are answers to the exercises in the back to help me work out what I have done wrong so I can learn from my mistakes. I am already on chapter 7 and have already had no problems with it, because the teaching is step-by-step until the end of every chapter when there are exercises to do, which are accompanied by vocabulary lists to help transliterate and translate, and in the back of the book there are sign lists with info and even a short dictionary. There is enough in this small book to be able to go to museums or even Egypt itself and impress those around you by the skills you have learnt from this book! This is a perfect start to my career in Egyptology!

After various false starts, I came across this book and love it. Paced just right for the self-taught beginner and Egytian enthusiast ( like me ), it gives you samples of real text to work with from the word go. Quite apart from giving an excellent introduction to hieroglyphs themselves, it also equips you to get to grips with Egyptian grammar, language and thus Ancient Egyptian thought. The emphasis throughout is on understanding structure and meaning in Egyptian inscriptions. I can't wait to get back to the British Museum and try out my new-found knowledge on actual artefacts. It certainly whets the appetite for more. Wonderful.

This is a first-rate introduction to the study of Egyptian hieroglyphs. It introduces the reader systematically and at a measured pace to the major signs, and has clearly written grammatical explanations. It also uses real texts - photographs of stelae inscriptions - from a very early stage so that you feel you are dealing with the real thing. A very good book.

I may be prejudiced since this book was written by two of my lecturers at the University of Liverpool, but of all the introductions to Egyptian Hieroglyphs I've read, this is quite frankly the best, and the most accessible. Drs Collier and Manley, as I know from personal experience of their lectures, know their subject inside out and have a genuine love of it; this is reflected in their book, used as the course textbook for first year undergraduates but just as suitable for individual home use. Buy it. You won't regret it.

Here is a self-teaching book that brings hieroglyphs alive. Based on exhibits at the British Museum the book takes you step-by-step through the bare minimum necessary to see into that mysterious world. The authors have created a book that has undergone several revisions to satisfy the home learner and it does hit the spot. If you want a better understanding of hieroglyphs this book can help you on your way. The remote teaching technique is geared up to explain just enough background to put you at your ease. The lessons are well constructed and backed up by plenty of self-testing sessions to allow you to check your progress. As you work through the lessons you are gaining insights into all manner of areas. For those of you who need a little extra encouragement look forward to impressing yourself translating some of the exhibits, live, in the British Museum.

Well, what title should I give for a book on Egyptian hieroglyphs?

Actually, the information blurb from the Library Journal linked to the book's entry here states: 'Reference collections desiring more complete coverage will want Alan Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar (1957. 3d ed.) despite some obsolescence in the treatment of the verbal system.'

I actually learned hieroglyphs using that text at the University of London in the 1980s. But I have assembled a collection of more accessible books on how to learn hieroglyphs as refreshers and for sharing. I have four texts, and this was the first of the lot.

If you are truly interested in learning Egyptian hieroglyphs for an upcoming trip to Egypt or to visit a museum with a collection (I amazed a friend once by being able to read an inscription at the museum; I confessed that of the hundreds of 'paragraphs' of hieroglyphs in the collection, that that was one of only two I could decipher without my notebook), Collier and Manley's 'How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs' is a good choice for learning.

It begins with a basic description of the way in which hieroglyphs are used (some signs are words, but actually very few, and others are sound-meaning symbols). Collier and Manley introduce a transliteration system to ease your way into pronunciation (and pronunciation is very sketchy, given the fact there are no recordings from ancient Egypt). Symbols can vary occasionally for sound, meaning, and determinative value.

The pattern of hieroglyphs is also variable. Generally, you always want to 'read into the face', i.e., the picto-glyphs will be facing the direction from which to start -- more often right to left than left to right, and columns go top to bottom. There are no punctuation marks and no word breaks -- this can make meanings hard to decipher.

Consider the example:

IAMNOWHERE
which could be broken into
I AM NOW HERE
or
I AM NOWHERE
and in this case, context might not help provide which meaning is the true one. Or perhaps the author is poetical and sees the trouble of distinction and means that trouble to be present.

No wonder hieroglyphs are hard!

Collier and Manley's book is excellent in basic vocabulary building and basic grammar. And, if you're like me and will make flash cards, you'll become a better draw-er too.

There are exercises, and pictures of inscriptions to practice on, and a key to the exercises in the back of the book.

After being patient with the book and myself, I have managed to learn a lot from this book. The book provides good basics and extensive guidance on popular hieroglyphics, like the offerings sayings.

It is not as extensive as Gardiner's grammar, yet I think it is a very good book for starting!

This book is a course on Hieroglyphics, pure and simple. This
means that you have to stick at it, and do the exercises fully.
If you get any of the questions wrong, it is *very* advisable to
go back and find out why.

Most books on language start out with "one ox", "two oxen".. and
so on.. eventually getting to "my pyramid" etc, but you just
don't get this. There's no exhaustive use of the information
presented, in order to help it sink in. You must do any extra

example-hunting yourself (Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is an excellent place for lots of pictures of Hieroglyphs).

I give it four points because it is an amazing book, but lacks
the 'extra stuff' which could give the reader a mental rest
between the barrages of information, or the usual linguistic
training aids. Don't let this put you off though. There is
*no* other book which will teach you hieroglyphics as well or as
fast.

Far from being one of those tacky 'learn a language in five minute' books, HOW TO READ EGYPTIAN IN HIEROGLYPHS was a truely user-friendly, informative and engaging book, suitable for linguists and linguistically-challenged alike. One learns Egyptian history as well as language and grammar, with an easy to follow structure and well explained framework. With language translation exercises and dictionary of signs, the book is truely the best I have read on the subject.

THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE STUDY OF EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHICS. IT STARTS OF WITH REAL INSCRIPTIANS AND MAKES YOU FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT READING AND SPEAKING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN. ALTHOUGH YOU NEED TO SPEND SOMETIME ON EACH CHAPTER YOU WILL SOON BE ABLE TO SWIFTLY READ HIEROGLYPHICS.AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR BEGINERS