Book Review: The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

When I first got this book, I carried it around with me endlessly. I even started a novel using the information from it. Not only does it cover the major deities of Egypt, like most of these books, but it covers the dozens of minor, local deities.
It also talks about some basic history, like Egyptian altar set up, how people would worship, and how the Pharaoh’s and Gods were interconnected. It gave me some ideas as to how to eventually set up my Egyptian room when I have my own house, and even some ideas on how to set up my current altar. It not only talks about the royal family, which a lot of these books do, but it also talks about how the common people would worship, which is much different that the imperial family.
Honestly, this is possibly the best book on Egypt I’ve purchased. I’m really happy with it.


Published in 2003 by Thames and Hudson

Other Books by Richard Wilkinson: Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt; Egyptian Scarabs; Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art; Reading Egyptian Art
Note: “Richard Wilkinson” is a common name, apparently. The ones I listed are the ones published by Thames and Hudson. These are the only ones I know for sure are by the same author.

Readability:
Is it easy to read? Yes.
Is it easy to follow along with? It can jump around a bit, but for the most part it is easy to follow along with.
Is it interesting? Yes
How long does it take to read? It took me two days...
Overall: 5/5

Content:
Is the author knowledgeable? Yes
Is the knowledge valuable? Yes
Is the knowledge new knowledge or is it common knowledge? A lot of it is new. There are a lot of minor Gods and Goddesses in this book that I had never heard of before, plus some interesting things about well-known deities.
Is it cohesive and relevant? Yes
Other notes: Eh, I got nothing, really...
Overall: 5/5

Design/Layout:
Is the book set up for easy reference: Kind of. It is divided into major parts, but you may have to do a bit of hunting. But, it’s totally worth it
Is the layout or design obnoxious or annoying? Not really. There are a lot of pictures, so the text can be organized in weird columns, but I’m okay with that.
Overall: 5/5

Overall:
Do you recommend this book? Yes!
Was it worth the money? It was expensive...$40 on average. I find it well worth the money, but some people may not want to spend that sort of money on a book. It makes a good Christmas or birthday present though!
Will You Purchase Other Books from this Author?: I haven’t decided yet
Overall: 15/15