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best_rat's review against another edition
picked up to solve a puzzle, cracked it shortly afterwards (turns out it was practically useless for it)
theinkthief's review against another edition
5.0
Such a good and useful book. It's so easy to follow. This was the book recommended for a university course I did, Ancient Egyptian Languages and Hieroglyphs, and I used it alongside a couple of other books, but honestly, this was the only book I needed for the course, it was just that good.
traceyms90's review against another edition
1.0
Would not recommend at all. I am an Egyptology student with intermediate knowledge of the language. I forgot I had this book and thought that I would use it to compliment my studies.
It is so hard to understand. It is terribly written and laid out. The transliterations are incorrectly given. Take 'house for example. They say the translit is pr when it is actually pr.w
They miss all of the additional notations. They do not explain the endings very well for plural, adjectives, pronouns and such. They just throw them in there and hope for the best.
If you want to learn words and about the offering formula, this is good. Otherwise its a load of rubbish
It is so hard to understand. It is terribly written and laid out. The transliterations are incorrectly given. Take 'house for example. They say the translit is pr when it is actually pr.w
They miss all of the additional notations. They do not explain the endings very well for plural, adjectives, pronouns and such. They just throw them in there and hope for the best.
If you want to learn words and about the offering formula, this is good. Otherwise its a load of rubbish
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
2.0
I've read worse, but I've also read much better. Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners by Bill Manley, Egyptian Grammar by Alan Gardiner (it's a classic for a reason!), and Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs by James Allen were all books I used that helped me greatly. The informational material in this book was by far the best aspect, and the instructional exercises were the least helpful.
michelleful's review against another edition
5.0
Well it only took me 16 years since buying this book in the British Museum, and 6 months since actively starting to work on it, but I finished C&M - How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, by Collier & Manley. YES! Such a feeling of accomplishment.
This is a great book for beginning your study of hieroglyphic Egyptian. Whether it's the absolute best I'm not sure - I've also heard that Janice Kamrin's Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Practical Guide, and Hoch's grammar, are good. I'm pretty sure Bussman's Complete Middle Egyptian isn't bad either, though I've not finished that one yet. However, it's probable that this is the fastest guide to getting you started on reading actual inscriptions, since it introduces the offering formula very early, viz. Chapter 3, and honestly once you've mastered that you're guaranteed to find at least one artifact to read in any museum with a decent Egyptian collection (and which to impress passing visitors).
I've also found in working through Allen's Middle Egyptian, which is probably THE textbook, that having gone through C&M was a BIG help. Allen tends to frontload information without the full context, but thinking back to examples I'd seen in Allen helped to provide that context.
The exercises are fairly challenging, but the authors provide just the right amount of help for a dedicated student. They're very realistic since they generally consist of reading an inscription from the British Museum, sometimes photographs in quite scruffy condition, so you have to squint. But that's kinda what it's like at a real museum.
Again, great book. My copy is all scratched up because I bought the half-price as-is copy at the museum shop as an impoverished student in 2003, but I'll always cherish it - and will probably make use often of the handy-dandy reference tables in the back.
This is a great book for beginning your study of hieroglyphic Egyptian. Whether it's the absolute best I'm not sure - I've also heard that Janice Kamrin's Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Practical Guide, and Hoch's grammar, are good. I'm pretty sure Bussman's Complete Middle Egyptian isn't bad either, though I've not finished that one yet. However, it's probable that this is the fastest guide to getting you started on reading actual inscriptions, since it introduces the offering formula very early, viz. Chapter 3, and honestly once you've mastered that you're guaranteed to find at least one artifact to read in any museum with a decent Egyptian collection (and which to impress passing visitors).
I've also found in working through Allen's Middle Egyptian, which is probably THE textbook, that having gone through C&M was a BIG help. Allen tends to frontload information without the full context, but thinking back to examples I'd seen in Allen helped to provide that context.
The exercises are fairly challenging, but the authors provide just the right amount of help for a dedicated student. They're very realistic since they generally consist of reading an inscription from the British Museum, sometimes photographs in quite scruffy condition, so you have to squint. But that's kinda what it's like at a real museum.
Again, great book. My copy is all scratched up because I bought the half-price as-is copy at the museum shop as an impoverished student in 2003, but I'll always cherish it - and will probably make use often of the handy-dandy reference tables in the back.
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