Myths Mummies and Magic book standing on a papier mache Egyptian coffin

Myths, Mummies and Magic in Ancient Egypt

ByStephen Davies

My new book is out now, and it’s an absolute beauty, thanks to stunning illustrations by Núria Tamarit. It contains six comic style tales, bursting with mythical creatures, gods, pharaohs and adventure.

I was thrilled to receive an early review from the queen of historical fiction herself.

This new hardback about Egyptian mythology and history is superb. Witty and informative, it is also child-friendly. And the full colour illustrations are wonderful. Perfect for any kid 7+ who loves ancient history.

Caroline Lawrence, author of The Roman Mysteries

The stories in the book were sourced from all over Egypt. This one about Imhotep is from Sehel island in the middle of the Nile – thirty-two columns of hieroglyphs etched onto a boulder.

This next one (a wild account of a pharaoh’s dream) is from a block of granite which was discovered between the paws of the sphinx at Giza.

This one (a magician on a tombraiding quest for the Book of Thoth) is Papyrus 30646 in the Egyptian museum in Cairo.

Our retelling of Imhotep’s epic face-off against an Assyrian sorceress is from fragments of papyrus discovered in Tebtunis, Lower Egypt. Thanks to Professor Kim Ryholt for allowing us access to this mindboggling story, which has only recently been pieced together and translated.

When I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time writing and drawing comic strips. Last year, as I worked on these Egyptian tales with Núria, I kept getting a dizzying tingle of déjà vu. What a treat to revisit a childhood passion.

You can buy MYTHS, MUMMIES AND MAGIC IN ANCIENT EGYPT from any of the usual outlets. Here is a link to a few of them: buy the book

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