A Bugatti at the foot of the Pyramids, a local sailboat transformed into a sumptuous yacht, a few tourists in white suits and Panama hats...these are the images of a voyage in Eygpt under the last kings, Fuad and Farouk, between 1917 and 1952. Writers such as Rudyard Kipling and André Gide testify to the fascination of Egypt's "golden years" where-in a country turned towards Europe and "protected" by the British army-a very individual social set blossomed in Cairo and Alexandria.

Fascinating accounts of this universe have been left by both Egyptian writers and visitors to the country. They offer us a rare glimpse of Egypt before the era of mass tourism. Extraordinary period photographs also survive; unearthed in Cairo or Beirut, in museums or private homes, and published here for the first time, they reconstitute the fragile yet effervescent glamour of Egypt under the last kings.

Alain Blottière has divided his time between Egypt and his native France for the past twenty years. A novelist, he has also written several works on Egypt, including a view of the country at the turn of the twentieth century and a dictionary of Egyptian gods.

A French novelist and author of a French dictionary of Egyptian gods, Blottiere has constructed a unique book that revisits life in Cairo and Alexandria during the first half of the 20th century, primarily from the perspective of steamship travelers. It discusses the social atmosphere of the region during a time when the British still influenced the Egyptian government and a European privileged class thrived with little regard for the peasant masses. The book presents large reproductions (20 color, 124 b&w) of archived photographs depicting the activities of tourists, including images of luxury liners, hotels, regional cinema, and travelers climbing the pyramids. Using many quotations from travelers both anonymous and well known (e.g., Jean Cocteau, Rudyard Kipling), the author is successful in re-creating the high-class social climate in Cairo and Alexandria during this time. Unfortunately, his brief and sketchy discussions of the related political background are not sufficient for readers interested in this unusual topic. Nevertheless, this book is recommended as a pictorial work for large public libraries.-Eric Linderman, East Cleveland P.L., OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.