A concise but comprehensive look at the history of Egypt, its people and their customs, this book includes chapters written by a different scholar, but the book doesn't have an imposing "scholarly" feel to it at all. Every chapter is divided into shorter two-to-three-page subtopics, which makes the book very readable and accessible. It also happens to be particularly well designed, with many sidebars and lavish photographs and illustrations. 

It's a perfect book for teachers to share with their students, and a great book for anyone looking for a general look at Egyptian history (carried up to the present). The mummy section in Chapter 10 (The Cult of the Dead) is a little disappointing (only one two-page spread--and very general, somewhat too-condensed information is given). But the rest of the chapter has much better information including a spread on "letters to the dead."  Chapters on the history of the dynasties (Chapter 2) and the pyramids (Chapter 12) are particularly well done; the dynasty chapter captures the alternating chaos and powerful rule over the centuries--and the pyramid diagrams would help anyone understand the various theories that account for their construction.