The Civilization of Ancient Egypt

Book Club Associates, London, reprint edition, 1978. Cloth, 8vo, 28 cm,. 240 pp, 95 black-and-white illustrations 16 pages of colour. From the blurb: "Ancient Egypt, with its legacy of pyramids, pharaohs and sphinxes, is a land of power and mystery to the modern world. In The Civilization of Ancient Egypt Paul Johnson explores the growth and decline of a culture which survived 3000 years while maintaining a purity of style to rival all others. State, religion, culture and geographical setting were all elements which combined to form an unusually durable civilization. The most unifying of these elements was the theocratic power invested in the divine person of the pharaoh; his influence on politics and religion provided the racial and cultural stability from which all growth stemmed. Why then did such a unified civilization collapse? Egypt was the great Bronze Age power reluctant to move into the Iron Age; it was based too much on tradition, to the extent that individuality - and consequently cultural innovation - suffered; it rejected new commercial ventures and changes in class structure, retreating too readily into its past. Yet despite the disappearance of a great state, its influence and artistic legacy remain. Very Good in Very Good dustwrapper.