The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone (Hardcover)

The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone By Edward Dolnick Cover Image
$28.00
Email or call for price.

Description


The fast-paced and “engrossing account” (The New York Times Book Review) of “one of the greatest breakthroughs in archaeological history” (The Christian Science Monitor): two rival geniuses in a race to decode the writing on one of the world’s most famous documents—the Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous objects in the world, attracting millions of visitors to the British museum every year, and yet most people don’t really know what it is. Discovered in a pile of rubble in 1799, this slab of stone proved to be the key to unlocking a lost language that baffled scholars for centuries.

Carved in ancient Egypt, the Rosetta Stone carried the same message in different languages—in Greek using Greek letters, and in Egyptian using picture-writing called hieroglyphs. Until its discovery, no one in the world knew how to read the hieroglyphs that covered every temple and text and statue in Egypt.

Dominating the world for thirty centuries, ancient Egypt was the mightiest empire the world had ever known, yet everything about it—the pyramids, mummies, the Sphinx—was shrouded in mystery. Whoever was able to decipher the Rosetta Stone would solve that mystery and fling open a door that had been locked for two thousand years.

Two brilliant rivals set out to win that prize. One was English, the other French, at a time when England and France were enemies and the world’s two great superpowers. Written “like a thriller” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), The Writing of the Gods chronicles this high-stakes intellectual race in which the winner would win glory for both himself and his nation. A riveting portrait of empires both ancient and modern, this is an unparalleled look at the culture and history of ancient Egypt, “and also a lesson…in what the human mind does when faced with a puzzle” (The New Yorker).

About the Author


Edward Dolnick is the author of Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, The Writing of the GodsThe Clockwork UniverseThe Forger’s Spell, and the Edgar Award–winning The Rescue Artist, among other books. A former chief science writer at The Boston Globe, he has written for The AtlanticThe New York Times Magazine, and many other publications. He lives with his wife near Washington, DC.

Praise For…


“Masterful. . . . The Writing of the Gods is an engrossing account of one of the greatest breakthroughs in archaeological history, one that brought a dead language, and a buried culture, back to life.” —Christian Science Monitor

"Dolnick exuberantly captures the frustrations and triumphs of scholars as they puzzle out the meaning of long-dead runes." —New York Times Book Review

"An entertaining account of a great intellectual achievement." The Economist

“Dolnick treats [Young and Champollion's] efforts like a thriller. . . . entertaining." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[Dolnick] has a remarkable ability to explain and contextualize complex topics and create compelling, lucid nonfiction narratives. . . . Dolnick brings this period of history to life in the same way the Rosetta Stone revived ancient Egypt." —BookPage (starred review)

 

"Stimulating. . . . an immersive and knowledgeable introduction to one of archaeology’s greatest breakthroughs." —Publishers Weekly

 

"A fast-paced intellectual adventure. . . . Highly recommended." —Library Journal


Product Details
ISBN: 9781501198939
ISBN-10: 1501198939
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: October 19th, 2021
Pages: 336
Language: English

Audiobooks

Digital Audio Books

Get a Gift Card

Gift Cards

Nine Stores in Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties

Petaluma Store

140 Kentucky Street
707-762-0563
click for hours & info



Petaluma 
Underground

140 Kentucky Street
707-782-0228
click for hours & info



Sebastopol Store

138 N.Main Street
707-823-2618
click for hours & info



Santa Rosa Store

(Montgomery Village)
775 Village Court
707-578-8938
click for hours & info



Healdsburg Store

104 Matheson Street
707-433-9270
click for hours & info



Napa Store

1300 First Street, Suite 398
707-252-8002

click for hours & info



Calistoga Store

1330 Lincoln Avenue
707-942-1616
click for hours & info



San Rafael Store

1200 4th Street
415-524-2800

click for hours & info



Novato Store

999 Grant Avenue
Suite 105
(415) 763-3052
click for hours & info



Larkspur Store
2419 Larkspur Landing Circle
(415) 870-9843
click for hours & info

Headquarters (Offices)

139 Edman Way 
Sebastopol
707-823-8991
click for hours & info