Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt

Nina Burleigh

oct 2009 · Harper Collins

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The story of Napoleon’s invasion of the Nile Valley, the scholars and scientists who tagged along, and the birth of Egyptology: “A fascinating read.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Two hundred years ago, only the most reckless or eccentric Europeans had dared to traverse the unmapped territory of the modern-day Middle East. But in 1798, more than 150 French engineers, artists, doctors, and scientists—even a poet and a musicologist—traveled to the Nile Valley under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte and his invading army. Hazarding hunger, hardship, uncertainty, and disease, Napoleon’s “savants” risked their lives in pursuit of discovery.

The first large-scale interaction between Europeans and Muslims in the modern era, the audacious expedition was both a triumph and a disaster, resulting in finds of immense historical and scientific importance (including the ruins of the colossal pyramids and the Rosetta Stone) and in countless tragic deaths through plague, privation, madness, or violence.

In this account, journalist and New York Times–bestselling author Nina Burleigh brings readers back to the landmark adventure at the dawn of the modern era that ultimately revealed the deepest secrets of ancient Egypt to a curious continent.

“An absorbing glimpse of Napoleon’s thwarted bid for a grand French empire and its intellectual fruits.” —Publishers Weekly

“Pepper[ed] with multitudes of facts, digressions and anecdotes.” —The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)



“Illuminates an unfamiliar moment in the history of science . . . Burleigh’s storytelling ability is mesmerizing.” —Library Journal

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Nina Burleigh is the author of four books. She is a noted journalist whose articles have appeared in Time, the Washington Post, New York magazine, Elle, and many other publications. She lives in New York City.