"Thompson offers a well written, informed, and at times exciting account of the exceptional accomplishments of the individuals and institutions that pioneered the field of Egyptology. Jaromir Malek's informed foreword offers a critical context for unfolding the Egyptological undertaking."—Choice
"Wonderful Things is a remarkable achievement: a scholarly work packed with facts but one which is also genuinely readable. It is ambitious in its scope and detail. To follow the growth of an arcane but also a highly romantic branch of learning becomes in Thompson's book something close to an adventure. The author successfully conveys his infectious enthusiasm for the subject but writes with a degree of detachment that allows him to be refreshingly and occasionally almost ruthlessly trenchant and critical."— Jaromir Malek, from the foreword
"An incisive anatomy of a discipline that challenges our all too familiar assumptions about how Egyptology came to be."— Stephanie Moser
"[A] monumental achievement"—Donald M. Reid, Journal of the American Oriental Society
"The definitive reference tool for anyone interested in the development of this academic discipline. "— Morris Bierbrier
"Jason Thompson has written what is by far the best history of Egyptology yet. Filled with fascinating facts and characters, Thompson's book is comprehensive and eminently readable and certain to become the standard history of the field for many years to come."— Kent Weeks
"At last a definitive history, which does justice not only to the major players but to lesser lights as well…immensely valuable."— Brian Fagan, author of The Rape of the Nile
"Remarkably thorough and yet refreshingly readable, this action-packed history of Egyptology is driven by some extraordinary characters—mostly men but some notable women—who needed to learn everything they could about the culture, land, and language of ancient Egypt. As much a study of European colonialism in Egypt as a historiography of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century scholarship, this volume is an absolute necessity for anybody with an interest in pharaonic Egypt."— Kara Cooney
"Wonderful Things is not only a definitive study of the early history of Egyptology, but an entrancing read. . . He wears his scholarship lightly, which makes this beautifully crafted book a joy for the general reader."— Current World Archaeology
"By any standards, this book is a remarkable achievement."— Antiquity
"It's not often that I find a book in which I can confidently state that I found something interesting on nearly every page. And as one who likes to consider himself an historian of archaeology, I learned much. Anyone with a serious interest in Egyptology surely will benefit from reading Wonderful Things.” — Donald P. Ryan, KMT
"A book that the Egyptological world and, surely, the world at large was waiting for for a long time. It fills a gap that was getting bigger as time passed by."— André J. Veldmeijer, PalArch
"A comprehensive and thoroughly-researched work, in which a huge quantity of data has been synthesized and expounded. . . . The book is a mine of information and succeeds in being both authoritative and highly readable."— John H. Taylor, ASTENE Bulletin
"Wonderful Things deserves to become the essential resource for decades to come."— Rosalind Janssen, Egyptian Archaeology
"While Wonderful Things would be an entertaining and informative read for any interested person, it should be considered essential reading for every Egyptologist and aspiring Egyptologist."— Melinda Nelson-Hurst, JARCE
"An essential and very worthy addition to the shelves of every Egyptologist, professional or dedicated amateur."— Peter A. Clayton, Ancient Egypt
2020-06-18
The second installment of Thompson’s survey of Egyptology, spanning a relatively short but intense “golden age.”
Bringing readers up to World War I, the author shows how the study of Egyptology galvanized around wealthy British, French, German, and American patrons and helped lead to the creation of Egyptian collections in museums worldwide. Thompson takes up his chronological study with the death of Auguste Mariette in January 1881 after 23 years as the first director-general of the Antiquities Service in Cairo. In addition to restricting the degradation of Egyptian antiquities by rapacious treasure hunters, Mariette regulated the ongoing excavation work during the British occupation—work continued by his effective successor, Gaston Maspero. The ensuing years would see the amazing work of William Flinders Petrie (1853-1942), first at the Fayyum and later at Amarna, where Akhenaten and Nefertiti had established a capital city. Excavating there in 1891, Petrie, assisted by a 17-year-old Howard Carter, “saw that the importance of the site had been vastly underestimated and proceeded to make the most of the opportunity.” There followed a host of significant discoveries of mummies in the Valley of the Kings, and the scholarly study of ancient Egypt took off, especially through the discoveries of precious papyri. Thompson follows all the personalities, patrons, dealers, and archaeologists responsible for filling the great museums of the world, from New York to Washington, D.C., Berlin, Paris, London, Brussels, and elsewhere. “The accelerating pace of scholarship manifested itself in an ever-increasing volume of publication,” writes the author, as scholars continued to make fascinating discoveries and further advanced ancient Egyptian historiography "based on solid sources, on those left by the ancient Egyptians themselves, not on writers from later ages with alien points of view.” Thompson succeeds in untangling the many rivalries and relationships, creating a clear picture of a rapidly expanding discipline.
Like the first volume, a readable synthesis of a complex, multilayered story.
