3 out of 5 stars

I went into Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age expecting something completely different than what I received. I anticipated a deep dive into the history of Egyptology and the great role women played in bringing the field to what it is today, but this book did not contain a deep dive.

Kathleen Sheppard explores the history of Egyptology during the Gilded Age (1865-1900) and into the twentieth century. Specifically, she examines the role of women and how they paved the path for future women in the field. Sheppard uses travelogues, diaries, and maps to show the women’s contributions to Egyptology. She highlights their accomplishments and explains how each led to the possibility of the next. Her analysis includes women in Britain and the United States and how they helped build interest in the subject on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although Sheppard provides a thorough description of each woman featured in her work, she does not paint a complete picture of the field of Egyptology at the time. I did not get the impression that the field could not have made it to where it is today without the work of those women. That is not to say that Sheppard did not do a successful job of highlighting the impacts of the women. She effectively showed that each woman contributed a great deal to Egyptology, but her argument did not convince me.

Even though the book’s argument falls short, Sheppard presents a detailed biography of each woman. She clearly shows how each woman dedicated a portion of their life to studying Ancient Egypt and the importance of their work. However, the book gave too much detail at times. I lost interest each time Sheppard included a full description of how the women spent their mornings before a dig.

I do not blame this book for being something other than what I anticipated, but I do wish Sheppard included more on the field of Egyptology and less on detailed descriptions of the everyday lives of the featured women. Women in the Valley of the Kings does a good job of bringing women back into the narrative and successfully shows their contributions.

Review also available on Goodreads from 5/08/2024.

Sheppard writes a well-researched book about the early women involved in truly creating the discipline of Egyptology. Unfortunately, I just didn't find it all that interesting. She does spend some time, but not a great deal, exploring their lesbian relationships, and that lessened my interest.

Egyptology really got its start with Amelia Edwards who was fascinated by Letters from Egypt published by Lucie Duff Gordon. Edwards made one trip to Egypt but was such a force for the exploration of the ancient civilaztion that her writings inspired many other wormen to follow.

Sheppard chronicles the work of many these and the challenges faced by women who weren't taken seriously. She digs deep into the work they did and all the truly foundational finds they made.

This one was just ok to me.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if maybe it had been focused on the women in a way that was a more readable format; maybe something from their POV?
A tid bit too textbook-y to me, even though I regularly read nonfiction.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book

The little-known contributions to Egyptology by late nineteenth-century women finally are celebrated in this group biography, covering the field from the 1870’s to the 1930’s. Based on their diaries, publications, and colorful memories of friends and family, Women in the Valley of the Kings breaks ground to put these women in their rightful places, uncovering their central and foundational roles in the development and professionalization of the field.

More than a dozen women are profiled, starting with the 1873 expedition headed by Amelia Edwards, who went on to establish the first department of Egyptology, at University College London, the only institution to give women degrees at that time.
Later women did everything necessary to establish the field, from funding expeditions, to actual excavating, preserving, categorizing, arranging exhibitions, and writing to make the public aware of the wonders of Egypt’s past.

Most of the women were wealthy, well-educated, and worked together as constant companions and intimate friends. Later members of this sisterhood had less money, but their dedication and sheer skill brought them to vital positions at museums and academic departments. They also provided a perspective missing from men’s accounts: Emma Andrews, in Egypt in the early 1900’s, kept diaries that included descriptions of the native workers and the tourists, not a focus of her male counterparts.

I wanted to love this book, appealing in so many ways. Unfortunately, it suffers from the fate of many group biographies: the scope is too wide, and the details too specific. It may be too journalistic for scholars, but too exhaustive for lay people. I am glad to have met these women, but fewer details, and tighter editing, could have made this a more readable book, introducing these women to the general audience they deserve.

This book outlines the history of women in Egyptology. Set during the gilded age, few women had the means to follow their dreams. The women outlined in this book lived, breathed, and dreamed egypt.

Overall, I thought this book could have used some editing. The book was a bit repetitive. The author continually told us that women were important in the field of Egyptology, instead of just letting their actions speak for themselves. After a few chapters, the women seemed to blend together. Overall, not a book I would re-read or recommend.

Super fascinating read! I have such a love for history and learning new things and this did not disappoint. I really did not know much about the women playing key roles in Egyptology and this book gives such a great overview of it but also does not read like a boring history book but rather a novel. Additionally, who doesn't love a female lead?!

I enjoy reading about archeology and about Egypt. This book gave a unique perspective by showing the women's contributions to Egyptology. At times I drifted a bit because the writing was a little dry, but overall it was an interesting book.

This is a very interesting and informative book! If you're someone who's interested in Egyptian artifacts and history, you'll enjoy this book! The imagery is spectacular! I could picture myself in Egypt, with the views of the mountains and tombs! I also enjoyed reading about the women who made a legacy and left their footprints in time.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from St Martin's Press via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Women in the Valley of the Kings is about the work of the women who helped shaped the field of Egyptology despite not getting the credit they deserved for it. This book is great for those interested in knowing more about archeology and Egyptology and the contributions women made to the fields. The women followed in this book are Lucie Duff Gordon, Amelia Edwards, and Marianne Brocklehurst. Their stories are a reminder of how often women get overlooked for their accomplishments while men get the credit.

Before reading this I'd only ever heard of the men doing archeology in Egypt like Howard Carter, but women were shaping the field in Egypt before he even showed. I had no idea about the women who so instrumental to the field. I was shocked by how much the women contributed only to remain relatively unknown today. However, the book was dry and dense at times and I found myself skimming some sections since there is just so much covered.

I enjoyed this smart, well-researched account of the British women who helped form the field of Egyptology through their patronage, archaeological skills, and scholarship. Deftly explaining the social mores of the time period and the restrictions on women in British society, Sheppard unpacks the value of all of the work done to create and keep archaeological and other scholarly societies going, the ways in which women obtained training that was generally forbidden to them, and how they shaped the narratives of discovery and history in the excavations of Egypt's early rulers. The book is thorough but never pedantic, and provides readers with the fruits of meticulous research in numerous archives and libraries. No subject is taboo: Sheppard explains that many of the women involved in the work were queer, and how their relationships enabled them to do the kind of work they did and influenced their outlook on women in charge. I can't wait to get a copy of the print version and see the photographs, which are omitted in this Kindle version.

An overview and biography of several women who were important to the fields of archaeology and Egyptology but received little-to-none of the acclaim due to them. Covering the 19th and 20th centuries, the book was both an interesting overview of how archaeological explorations worked in Egypt at that time as well as a chance to learn about these women and their lives, as well as their specific accomplishments in the form of administration, organization, and education. I enjoy reading about archaeology so some of the background was familiar to me, and I think the book may be a little difficult if you are coming to it with no knowledge of Egypt in the late 19th-early 20th centuries or the process to assign archaeological sites. It's great to see the lives of these consequential women get attention. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Interesting andwell researched book about 7 women who were Egyptologists. I wish these stories were intertwined versus a chapter for each woman. Being non-fiction, it is very straight forward and could be boring if you're not ready for straight up non-fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

An interesting book about little known females in history. Sometimes a little dry and long winded and then sometimes leaves you wondering what you missed. Perhaps some more editing would improve the read. Informative.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book focuses on the women who helped with many different aspects of excavating in Egypt with their time, talents, and money. There is a lot of detail, but the personal expriences are the most interesting. There are a few places where it seems like you are just hearing about the same details from another POV so perhaps a few things could've been edited out, but overall I found it to be an interesting read about this time in history.

I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention I have been to the Valley of the Kings and thought it would be so interesting. I'm sure others will love it. Just not for me.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the lives of women and their ability to make their own decisions were constrained unless they were wealthy in their own right and unencumbered by a spouse. In that case they could, with suitable companionship, travel and explore foreign countries. This is the history of such women who visited Egypt, became fascinated by it and made it their life’s work to learn about and pursue the excavation, and often the acquisition, of ancient Egypt structures, tombs and artifacts. They supported and helped institutionalize the development of Egyptology. Unremarked by history, they were an influential part of it and deserve to have their story told. Well researched and footnoted, the book reads like an academic paper which I found to be a bit dry.

If you're into Egyptology or archeology, this fascinating book should be on your shelf. On the other hand, if you only have a mild interest and little or no background, you may find it a frustrating read. I fell somewhere in between and found certain parts of the book absolutely fascinating and intriguing while I must admit to skimming through others. For me, given my prior interest, I think it's safe to say this book will take me more than one read to take in all the information shared. Kathleen Sheppard has done a great deal of research and it shows. You'll definitely appreciate the index and notes at the end listing sources and perhaps pointing you off on your own search for more on these mostly little known women.

Basically, what you have here is a rather thorough history of not just these women and the archaeology of Egypt, but a decent history of Egypt's history itself. It's solid and not particularly detailed but more than adequate to give readers a feel for the give-and-take and various international influences on the area. Like many, I probably first became interested in this area due to Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of "King Tut", so it was intriguing to read about the various women who were there before and during his time. It was also interesting to be reminded that early excavations were, sigh, almost anything but done carefully, think dynamite, rather than each item being carefully retrieved and documented. As a lover of history, it made me sad to imagine how much was lost but, anyway, on to the ladies.

Many that came were wealthy, many flocking to Egypt in hopes the dry air might improve their health. For instance, Lady Duff Gordon, one of the more recognized names in the book, traveled to Luxor, Egypt, in 1864 hoping for a tuberculosis cure. She wrote of her experiences and all the wonders she saw. Her writings would inspire others, others who play key roles in this book. I'm not going to detail these women, much as I'd like to (see the blurb for names), as it'd take pages, but will say that each touched those who came after in some way. While we do get to know these women as the book goes along, the focus is on their work, not them as private individuals. Most documented their stays in some way, often through letters home or diaries. Some of their writings, to their credit, reveal the workers who did the grunt work, the heavy, tedious work, giving them their due, too. I should also note that these women were largely shunted aside and their contributions largely forgotten or even ignored, so I applaud Sheppard for giving them the spotlight.

Bottom line, I plan to go back through this book periodically to better digest what is within. These women deserve that. I simply cannot imagine the difficulties they faced while surrounded by people whose language they didn't speak and men who considered them inconsequential and thus not only made it more difficult for them to get official permission to excavate but gave them little credit for all their accomplishments. Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress for letting me time-travel back to this Golden Age of Egypt's exploration and archaeology to meet these intriguing women.

though I liked the subject matter quite a lot, the writing itself was a bit dry and tedious. However, there is a lot of interesting information in here. though I don't believe it would hold the attention of high school students as a full volume, I will recommend it to our history department as an important resource.

This was an excellent overview of some of the many women who helped to found the field of Egyptian archaeology. It was great getting to learn more details about women I'd only heard mentioned in passing, and Sheppard did a fantastic job of exploring their many contributions to the field. I especially liked her focus on the importance of administration and academics, and she really highlighted the many ways women were essential even if they weren't manually digging out tombs themselves.

My only complaints would be that the tone could be a little uneven, jumping back and forth from dry, academic text to very chatty speculations about what the women were thinking or feeling, and it could be a little confusing when the story jumped around in time, going from the 1950s, back to the 1890s, back to the 1920s again. However, even though I would've liked a more in-depth, chronological survey that explored multiple women's viewpoints simultaneously, I can see why the book's current structure might make it a little more accessible and fun for some to read.

I am linking my public review below - this is a great book! However, in terms of editing, it is pretty clear that a chapter/longer section about Lucy Duff Gordon was originally in the text as there are several instances when she is referenced in a way that assumed the reader is familiar with her life and experience - these mentions will need to be edited out unless you plan to put the chapter back in!