“Fritze has an enviable ability to dig deep into the worlds of popular history. Well-written, his new book, which goes right up to date, is wide-ranging, both chronologically and thematically. Fritze covers the pyramids, archaeology, film, popular fiction, and a wide range of concerns and forms. Deserves wide attention.”

“When then-candidate for the Republican nomination Ben Carson insisted that the pyramids had been built to store grain, the media made him a laughingstock. What they did not note, and what Fritze’s exhaustively researched, fascinating book illustrates, is that Carson’s pseudo-theory is hardly the first fiction to pass itself off as ‘knowledge’ of Egypt. From the accounts of Hebrews and Greeks up to mummy movies and Cleopatra-inspired fashion, our cultural obsession with Egypt, both scholarly and pop, has been a history of myth and fantasy. In highly accessible chapters abundantly laced with illuminating details, many of them little-known until now, Fritze deconstructs the ideas that have formed this ever-changing but enduring ‘Egyptomania.’ Fascinating!”

“Egypt has long captivated people’s imagination. Fritze has produced a smart, thoughtful, and engagingly written study of the history of Egypt, from the ancient period to the present. . . . For those interested in the curse of the mummy, it is a fascinating read.”

“A fascinating read for any who are interested in Egyptian culture.”