THE STORY OF THE PHARAOHS.
The Story of the Pharaohs. By James Baikie. (A.. and C. Black. 7s. 6d. net.)—This is a very useful book of the popular kind. Mr. Baikie has not, we imagine, made a personal study of Egyptian temples and tombs, but he seems to have studied with much care the best authorities, and has brought his Egyptology generally up to date. Of course, there are omissions ; the space allotted to the history of some three, or it may be five, millenniums is narrow, and we cannot complain if subjects in which we may happen to be interested are passed over somewhat cursorily. The Egyptian occupation of the Sinai region, in which Dr. Flinders Petrie has found materials for a considerable volume, might well have been made the subject of a separate chapter. As it is, we have to be content with occasional references. On the other hand, there is a satisfactory account of the profoundly interesting episode of Amenhotep IV., otherwise Akhenaten, and his attempt to bring about a religious reforma- tion in Egypt. But the "Book of the Dead" might well have had a fuller treatment. The account of Egyptian literature is limited to a few pages. These, however, are written in a sympathetic spirit, and in view of the conditions by which the author was restricted we have no reason to complain. Much valuable matter is given as to Egyptian social life. Was it as little touched with gaiety as Mr. Baikie thinks ? He forms a somewhat depreciatory estimate of Egyptian religions, and here certainly has the general opinion of antiquity with him. On the whole, we may say that this is likely to be a useful book, standing, of course, on a lower level than Professor Breasted's great work bearing the same title, but with many merits.
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