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(More customer reviews)A landmark work of cultural anthropology, Lane's study of Egyptian society has never been out of print since it was first issued in 1836. The definitive fifth edition of 1860, the basis of this re-issue, was the result of a quarter-century of Lane's corrections, reconsid-erations and additions and includes 131 illustrations by Lane, most made with the aid of a camera lucida. Lane (1801-1876) first traveled to Egypt in 1825, inspired by the dis-coveries made by Belzoni and others in the Valley of the Kings, but it was contempo-rary life that captured his imagination. He immersed himself in the culture, learning its language and adopting its way of life. The results were extraordinary: Out of his ex-periences came not only this work, but translations of The Thousand and One Nights, Se-lections from the Qur'an, and the seminal Arabic-English Lexicon. Composed at a time of increased western interest in and contact with Egypt, but before the forces of moderni-zation transformed the country, Manners and Customs is renowned for its comprehen-sive scope, detail and perceptiveness on such topics as Islamic laws and government, festivals, death and funeral rites, marriage, music, dancing, magic and alchemy, public baths and bargaining. Lane's work retains its power to charm and amaze-much like Egypt itself.
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Few works about the Middle East have exerted such wide and long-lasting influence as Edward William Lane's An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. First published in 1836, this classic book has never gone out of print, continuously providing material and inspiration for generations of scholars, writers, and travelers, who have praised its comprehensiveness, detail, and perception. Yet the editions in print during most of the twentieth century would not have met Lane's approval. Lacking parts of Lane's text and many of his original illustrations (while adding many that were not his), they were based on what should have been ephemeral editions, published long after the author's death. Meanwhile, the definitive fifth edition of 1860, the result of a quarter century of Lane's corrections, reconsiderations, and additions, long ago disappeared from bookstore shelves. Now the 1860 edition of Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians is available again, with a useful general introduction by Jason Thompson. Lane's greatest work enters the twenty-first century in precisely the form that he wanted.
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