When the French invaded Egypt in 1798, they were astonished to find countless ruins covered with hieroglyphs - remnants of a language lost in time. The quest to decipher hieroglyphs began in earnest: fame and fortune awaited the successful scholar. Amid political turmoil in France, caused by Napoleon's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall, Jean-Francois Champollion was hounded, exiled and even charged with treason, but still overcame poverty and ill-health to beat his closest rival, the English scientist Thomas Young. Having cracked the code, Champollion led an expedition through Egypt, deciphering texts unread and triumph over extreme adversity.
"The Adkins duo succeed in providing a fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of intellectual heroism."
SIMON SINGH, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"Champollon's story has long deserved to be told, and the husband-and-wife authors of 'THE KEYS OF EGYPT' have told it extremely well, producing a fascinating account of the race to unlock the cryptic language of the pharaohs... 'The Keys of Egypt', always readable and enjoyable, is a worthy tribute to the man who named, and unlocked, the valley of the Kings."
GILES MILTON, DAILY MAIL
"A compulsive account of the life of Jean-Francois Champollion... A first rate blend of high scholarship and great narrative pace, this is one of those rare, wondrous books which turns an intellectual adventure into high drama. It deserves a huge audience."
DOUGLAS KENNEDY, THE TIMES.