The Hieroglyphs Handbook: Teach Yourself Ancient Egyptian

An entertaining introduction to hieroglyphics which enables children to walk into a museum and translate Ancient Egyptian inscriptions. It provides background history and a practical section explaining how the language works and is written, as well as a glossary-cum-phrasebook.

Looking for a "learn a language book" with a difference? Then look no further--this book is certainly unusual in that the language in question is over 5000 years old--hieroglyphics.

Apparently, according to the author Philip Ardagh, it took the average Ancient Egyptian scribe about 12 years to learn all the hieroglyphs he would need to sustain a reasonable writing career, and therefore admits that this highly entertaining little book won't quite make the reader an internationally world expert on the subject. But what it will do is provide endless hours of fun for children who are either in the midst of their studies about Ancient Egypt, or young tikes who take pleasure in baffling their buddies with clever codes and secret messages.

A clever mix of technical detail and humorous interpretation makes The Hieroglyphs Handbook a sure fire winner for any child who likes a good dose of entertainment with his bread-and-butter learning. (Age 10 and over) --Susan Harrison