Rating: 
Summary: Pyramid
Review: David MacAulay's book illustrartes "one" method by which the pyramids of Egypt may have been built, and follows the construction step by step with text and drawings. His pen and ink drawings are excellent! The book may have been written for children, ages 9 and older, but I enjoyed the book! My eight year old son was fascinated by the book. Hopefully, his interest in Egyptology has been sparked by this fine book. I tend to disagree with the author when he refers to the pyramid as a tomb. Although, not specifically stated, the entire book except a brief discussion of the Queen's Pyramid and mumification are devoted to the building of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The brief discussion of the mummification process is just the right amount of information for a child.
Rating:
Summary: Egyptian Pyramids
Review: David MacAulty's book discusses and illustrates "one method" by which the pyramids of Egypt may have been built, and follows the construction step by step. His pen and ink drawings are excellent. The book may have been written for children (ages 9 and older) but, I enjoyed the book. I highly recommend it for adults and children with an interest in the pyramids. My eight year old son was fascinated by the book. Hopefully, his interest in Egyptology has been sparked by this fine book. I tend to disagree with the author when he refers to the pyramids as tombs. No bodies have been found within the pyramids. Its more likely the pyramids were used as structures for initiation ceremonies. Although, not specifically stated the entire book, except for a brief discussion of the Queen's pyramid and the mummification process, is devoted to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The brief discussion of the mummification process is just the right amount of information for a child's book.
Rating:
Summary: Egyptian Pyramids
Review: David MacAulty's book discusses and illustrates "one method" by which the pyramids of Egypt may have been built, and follows the construction step by step. His pen and ink drawings are excellent. The book may have been written for children (ages 9 and older) but, I enjoyed the book. I highly recommend it for adults and children with an interest in the pyramids. My eight year old son was fascinated by the book. Hopefully, his interest in Egyptology has been sparked by this fine book. I tend to disagree with the author when he refers to the pyramids as tombs. No bodies have been found within the pyramids. Its more likely the pyramids were used as structures for initiation ceremonies. Although, not specifically stated the entire book, except for a brief discussion of the Queen's pyramid and the mummification process, is devoted to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The brief discussion of the mummification process is just the right amount of information for a child's book.
Rating:
Summary: Egyptian Pyramids
Review: David MacAulty's book discusses and illustrates "one method" by which the pyramids of Egypt may have been built, and follows the construction step by step. His pen and ink drawings are excellent. The book may have been written for children (ages 9 and older) but, I enjoyed the book. I highly recommend it for adults and children with an interest in the pyramids. My eight year old son was fascinated by the book. Hopefully, his interest in Egyptology has been sparked by this fine book. I tend to disagree with the author when he refers to the pyramids as tombs. No bodies have been found within the pyramids. Its more likely the pyramids were used as structures for initiation ceremonies. Although, not specifically stated the entire book, except for a brief discussion of the Queen's pyramid and the mummification process, is devoted to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The brief discussion of the mummification process is just the right amount of information for a child's book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Detailed
Review: My children love this book. It is well-illustrated, with schematic plans, re-creations, et cetera. A very good book for illustrating the accepted method of pyramid construction.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT, FUN READ
Review: My friend checked this book out from the library and lent it to me, and I really enjoyed it. Communicating through words and drawings, Mr. Macaulay makes us feel like we're there in Egypt watching the pyramids being built through the decades. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book they can really sink their teeth into.
Rating: 
Summary: A Journey To Ancient Egypt
Review: One of a series of books about the engineering and technical aspects of the great buildings and marvels of history, Pyramid is a worthy effort, but not as interesting, compelling and funny as City and Cathedral, two of the other books in the series.Though just as well illustrated by the dazzling drawings found in the entire series, the text is not as appealing as it could be and the attention of younger readers may be lost in a short time after some of the major questions about pyramid construction are answered. Not verbose or over-written, the text is understandable and concise. As with the other offerings in this series, the reader is taken from the very beginning of development to the completion of a project, in this case a massive Egyptian Pyramid within the pages of the book. Though not the very best in the series, Pyramid does instruct and would be a very valuable asset in any classroom or home library.
Rating:
Summary: Great read on a deep topic
Review: This is a fabulous book for anyone looking to learn more about the pyramids of Ancient Egypt without the burden of scholar-like vocabulary and disturbing depth. But at the same time the book conveys the mysteries of the pyramids with a keen intellect of the topic. The author knows his topic but writes his book so anyone can enjoy the knowledge and enlightenment a deeper understanding of the past can provide.
Rating:
Summary: good introduction
Review: Though this was written nearly thirty years ago, this is still one of the best introductions to the building of the pyramids out there, as he distills the basics down to the bare minimum without sacrificing much detail. The drawings, too, are superb, though the one page showing the various bald-headed workers made me think of Blue Man Group. I do have some minor reservations, however, which are not necessarily Macaulay's fault (I am not going to go into alternative theories about how the pyramids were built, or speculation about the "real" purpose of the pyramids). One, to have built a pyramid of 2 million blocks in 30 years (working 5 months of the year) would have required that over 400 blocks be cut, finished, transported, and set into place EVERY DAY. Two, he doesn't state how the ramps were built so they could withstand the weight of so many tons of blocks day in and day out. And third, how was this enormous operation made to run so smoothly despite accidents and other problems that had to have occurred? Despite my reservations, this is still a wonderful book to teach people, especially children, how such a massive undertaking was accomplished.
Rating:
Summary: good introduction
Review: Though this was written nearly thirty years ago, this is still one of the best introductions to the building of the pyramids out there, as he distills the basics down to the bare minimum without sacrificing much detail. The drawings, too, are superb, though the one page showing the various bald-headed workers made me think of Blue Man Group. I do have some minor reservations, however, which are not necessarily Macaulay's fault (I am not going to go into alternative theories about how the pyramids were built, or speculation about the "real" purpose of the pyramids). One, to have built a pyramid of 2 million blocks in 30 years (working 5 months of the year) would have required that over 400 blocks be cut, finished, transported, and set into place EVERY DAY. Two, he doesn't state how the ramps were built so they could withstand the weight of so many tons of blocks day in and day out. And third, how was this enormous operation made to run so smoothly despite accidents and other problems that had to have occurred? Despite my reservations, this is still a wonderful book to teach people, especially children, how such a massive undertaking was accomplished.
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