For millennia; the culture and philosophy of the ancient Egyptians have fascinated artists; historians; and spiritual seekers throughout the world. Now; this reissue of a Chronicle Books classic brings to light once more the legendary 3;500-year-old Papyrus of Ani—the most beautiful of the Egyptian funerary scrolls ever discovered. Restored to its original sequences; the elaborately bordered papyrus conveys its intended sense of motion and meaning in a way no other book on the subject can match. From mysticism and philosophy to anthropology and astronomy; this sumptuous volume will appeal to casual readers; serious scholars; and the generally inquisitive mind. The translation of the text of each image is placed on the page directly below the image; allowing the reader; for the first time in 3500 years; to gaze on the images while reading the words of the papyrus. Uncluttered with footnotes or other extraneous matter; the papyrus is displayed with the intent of allowing the modern reader to experience the full depth of the original. The restoration of the unity of word and image in this publication of the Papyrus of Ani has brought to life one of the most important early spiritual treasures of mankind.
#763931 in Books Stackpole Books 2002-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.26 x 1.81 x 5.62l; 1.73 #File Name: 0811720640624 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Action JacksonBy MagnitudeThis one of the finest military histories that I've read about any era; and I've read a lot. Tanner attacked this subject with passion; dedication; and insight; and it shows on every page. It helps that he found new evidence after the first publication and took the time to rewrite that account. Readers will be richly rewarded because of this effort. I've known few historians who have done that; but few also have had such a single-minded purpose as Tanner.Tanner weaves together first-hand accounts from soldiers; civilians; and generals. His focus is on the operational level; but his narrative gives a good feeling for the human elements of what it must have been like to be there; from soldiers slogging through the mud and going hungry; to generals agonizing over what to do next. The book is filled with an amazing amount of documentary evidence; ranging from orders to letters home.This isn't a biography of Jackson; but I was surprised to find this account treats Jackson like a human being. He makes mistakes; scores a victory against Banks at Winchester; deals with conflicting demands from Lee and Johnston; and struggled to keep his subordinates in line. He seems to have done a lot with a little; bringing superior forces to bear on the spread-out Union forces at all the right times. While that led to victories; there's no myth-making or overt hero-worshipping in this account.The main outcome of all this marching and countermarching (which Tanner always somehow makes interesting) was that Jackson was able to divert McDowell from a march on Richmond; or otherwise from supporting McCllelan during the Peninsula Campaign. Tanner focuses on Jackson's Valley Army; and so the Union forces are generally treated as Jackson would have seen them. The Union generals are both literally and figuratively on the other side of the hill. Tanner does go into more detail about them later; but this isn't completely an evenly two-sided military history; some of the Union movements are covered in an appendix; for example.One of the constant themes or sub-plots in this account is about the cavalry commander; Ashby. In brief; he was one of those cavalier types of Southern cavalry leaders; were there any other kind? His relationship with Jackson is well told; and it's a refrain throughout. While the perhaps better-known Stuart and Forrest often came to mind in comparison; it's interesting to note how similar patterns developed on this smaller stage with a personality just as large. It could be said that there was something in the Southern attitude in the cavalry arm that reduced its effectiveness; and if you're looking for evidence of that; Ashby; for all his cocksure gallantry; will provide a lot. Tanner seems fascinated by Ashby; too. Colorful failures are always captivating.I read this on the Kindle White; and this electronic edition had plenty of typos; probably due to file formatting. For example; words appeared with hyphens in the middle of a page; not terrible; just annoying. On a pleasant note; the maps were plentiful; detailed; and were quite visible. Make sure you bookmark them as you go along; because you'll need them often. For most history books; and certainly one of this caliber; I like to read the footnotes. While in some Kindle books a reader can simple touch the number and see the footnote in a pop-up; this formatting did not allow for that; and flipping back and forth can be difficult (on a Kindle White; at least). None of this is reflected in my star rating: The prose is pure joy; and the maps add to the telling.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Driven and Intense ManBy lonestarmikeThe Confederate army in 1862 was outmanned and outgunned. There were not; however; out-thought or out-fought and Stonewall was one of the biggest reasons for it. It is an amazing story how the Shennandoah campaign kept the Union army occupied so thoroughly they could not mass effective campaigns against Richmond; much less whip Stonewall at all. Up and down the valley numerous times; back and forth across the valley; fighting different armies much of the time; Stonewall and his men defeated them all. He was a rock in the midst of chaos and who knows what might have happened had he not been killed at Chancellorsville by his own picket line. Would the battle at Gettysburg turned out differently? Would the war have been over in late 1863 when the Union surrendered? Jackson inspired that kind of belief in his men and instilled that kind of worry and fear in his foes.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. RecommendedBy Paulette MatloszHusband enjoyed it!
