I DNF'd at 16%. I was excited to learn about women's role and more about this time period in general. However, there where so many names thrown out and seemed to be no order. So much background and facts, read more like a dissertation than an actual book.

Women are criminally under-represented in the sciences, especially the nascent sciences of the late 19th and early 20th century, but this title tries to repair that by focusing on women who studied early Egyptology and were archaeologists in Egypt. Their work, education, teaching, and digging was often just as important as the men's but little was written in the 'official' record. Kathleen Sheppard takes us through about 60 years of women who had a major impact on the study of Egyptology, often with little first hand documentation beyond the women's diaries and notes. Sheppard allows for glimpses into the women's lives but focuses on their work and the impact they had on the profession in an easy to read narrative.

In the so-called Golden Age of Egyptology, it was men who were known world-wide as the archeologists and academics who wrestled the secrets of Ancient Egypt from the desert, carrying away much of what they found. In this book, Sheppard turns the spotlight on female Egyptologists, who had less recognition but were equally instrumental in the early days of the discipline.

I'm not very familiar with Egyptology in the Gilded Age beyond Howard Carter's famous "Yes, wonderful things!" and a vague understanding of how the colonial presence in Egypt allowed many artifacts to be carted off willy-nilly to other countries never to be repatriated. But when I thought of people out digging in the Valley of the Kings, I definitely always thought of men in khakis and pith helmets. This book does a great job of busting that misconception.

Sheppard highlights the work of half a dozen women who were in one way or another involved with Egyptology, even if they never called themselves such. She does a great job of showing how these women's efforts made the development of the discipline possible, as well as how their efforts were built upon by the generations of women who came afterward. Men might have dug for artifacts, but it was women who promoted their work, raised money for it, received and studied and disseminated information about what was discovered, and much more. It was interesting too to learn about what life was like on dig sites - the incredibly informal nature of it in the early years, how the visiting Egyptologists used and impacted the Egyptians who lived around them, and more.

However, I did feel that the style of the book was drier than I expected - while Sheppard tells us plenty about the women, she does not really explore their interior worlds - not why they were driven to the study, not how they felt being shafted and sidelined in a discipline they were often were more skilled in that their male counterparts, not what they thought of their time in Egypt and the native peoples they worked with there. Without any of this, the women remain frustratingly out of reach no matter how much we learn about their accomplishments.

Like many kids, I was obsessed with Egypt, and Mythology as well. This book grabbed my attention after reading Empress of the Nile and my last name also happens to be Sheppard. I really enjoyed learning about these women that were unfortunately ignored in most of the history we read about because it always leans towards the men.

This was a dense but informative book about women's roles in development of Egyptology. I had no idea the idea of museums came from women. I wasn't surprised they were tasked with the notation of the finds but not allowed to actually dig in most cases. I also liked how the book showed this was a way for women to be freer away from home. The book also doesn't ignore the fact that these women were very privileged white women from Europe. It also does mention the issues with this type of archaeology in this error that was more treasure hunt than scientific inquiry.

It was great to read about a new to me subject, I've always been interested in Egyptology but never looked into it. It is a highly controversial subject now with the repatriation of many artifacts being current news.
The book is very well researched and it is apparent that the author enjoys the subject. There were a lot of women mentioned in the book and most of them were heavily intertwined through the extremely small field. She brings a lot of the names of women to the forefront when they weren't noted outside of their tight circle due to men having a larger public face. It was mentioned in some places the colonization of the areas where tourists went, the uninhibited collection of artifacts and transport outside of Egypt but it seems to be a passing thought and not actual sympathy from the author regarding the ravaging of the country's landscape and exploitation of the people.

It is written in a very academic way, feels like a thesis rather than an easy to pick up book. The writing was good even if she flourished the book with assumptions of the women's thought process, discussions and lifestyles. She does lightly touch on the aspect of some women being romantically involved with one another in a way that doesn't make it seem voyeuristic into their intimate lives even if the author had access to their personal diaries. She does go into the tiny details that seem more relevant in a novel rather than one highlighting the successes of women in Egypt.

Over all this had more cons than pros and isn't the easiest read unless one is already into Egyptology.

Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age guides us through the stories of the many women who were exploring Egypt before men (like Howard Carter) arrived and took credit.
There was no one reason why they traveled to Egypt. Some just wanted to travel, some arrived with an interest in Egyptian history. They wrote about their discoveries, leading to more and more women arriving, and to more discoveries.
We should know the names of these women just as we do the men. Amelia Edwards, Maggie Benson, and Kate Bradbury are just three of the many women who did field work. Their stories are for all who are interested in Egypt, exploration, or acknowledgment of women’s contributions to the field of archaeology.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Women in the Valley of the Kings by Kathleen Sheppard!

I am an automatic fan of any well executed revisionist history and I've been an Egyptology nut since my teens. So it does me well to read such a great book detailing those women who were quite deliberately omitted from the story of exploration and history. It is so important to show that women were there not just to serve as companions to men and financial patrons, but were active participants as photographers, reproduction artists, explorers and diggers right alongside men who got most of the glory and credit. From curious explorers and tourists that they were expected to be in 19th century to the pre WWII PhDs teaching the next generation of Egyptologists, the women of this book WERE there and their contributions need to continue to be explored and highlighted more and more,

If you are looking for a book that digs deeply into stories of women who were there and did the same work and often more nuanced work as their male peers, look no further.

A fascinating look into the often forgotten and erased women who helped to build the study of Egyptology into what it is today.

This was so interesting! It covered a lot of time, and several different women who all influenced the development of Egyptology as a study, from artists to heiresses to PhD graduates, these women blazed their own paths and pursued their dreams of traveling and learning about Ancient Egypt.

I really appreciated how the author emphasized the presence and importance of LGBTQ women, while also highlighting the role all these white women played in the colonialism against Egypt. It was a bit dry, but well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this arc.

For a non-fiction work this book was fairly readable. This book will make modern readers aware of all of the contributions that women made in rediscovering the world of Ancient Egypt. Sheppard shows how these women forged ahead against every single obstacle to make their mark on Egyptology. From their monetary support, their academic work, their artistic abilities, and their written memoirs, these women impacted the course of Egyptology more than anyone in the past has wanted to give them credit for. A tremendous accounting of the strength and courageousness of those who battled to do what they believed in.

Women in the Valley of the Kings written by Kathleen Sheppard was so well written. Any book about impactful women in history gets my attention, but Women in the Valley of Kings was phenomenal.

"Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age", by Kathleen Sheppard was an interesting, well researched book about the role women took in Egyptian archeology and artifacts. Very different culture in that time, both for women and for rules in digging and exploration. Was very detailed in shining a light on this niche. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher. All opinions are my own.

Women in the Valley of the Kings
By Kathleen Sheppard

The next time you walk into a museum, find an artifact label and read it.

Chances are the name of the person who found it or the people whose money acquired it are listed as men. This is especial true in the Gilded Age Egyptology.

What if I told you women and Egyptians were working alongside the men whose names grace labels in hundreds of museums? This book tells,s us about those women and how they worked tirelessly along side men. But were, however, often overlooked.

This book tells a story of these women. It was very interesting learning about all the work they did.

“Enter the women.” - @kathleensheppardwrites

This history is so rich and complicated. It’s a story that needed to be told. I was transfixed by the talent, drive, and gumption of these women, the trail they blazed, and the way they became the backbone of this movement. “They were not women behind the men; they were, however, overshadowed. These women were the physical, financial, and institutional backbone of Egyptology.”

Each chapter will take you on a journey focused on one or more essential women Egyptologists. However, as the chapters go on you’ll find these women all knew each other and were part of each others successes or the reason they loved Egyptology.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn’t know I needed all this information until after I finished this book. If you’re looking to the past to light your feminist fire, look no further than this book.

I’m so far behind on my #advancedreaderscopy I’m in my catch-up era. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress I loved this walk through history.

#2025bookchallengebook1of100
#womeninthevalleyofthekings
#egyptology
#nonfictionbook1of5

So many positives and promise with this, starting with the premise. Who doesn’t love reading about women trailblazers, especially in a setting like egypt, where history is so abundant?

There were si many things I did love and the amount of research done was evident; but the narrative itself fell flat. It often felt more fact than story and I think it could have been both.

Great nonfiction read! I loved learning about the role these women played in the important discoveries in Egyptian Archeology made during the late 19th and early 20th century! I loved all the new information that i learned! This book is definitely easier to get into if you already have some knowledge on ancient Egypt and its archeology!

4 stars. Have read other books on Egypt archaeology adventures of the late 19th and early 20th century; this book matches up to those others. Women in the Valley of the Kings by Kathleen Sheppard is a captivating exploration of the often-overlooked female figures in Egyptology. Sheppard masterfully weaves together historical research and compelling storytelling to shed light on the women who contributed significantly to the field, yet have remained in the shadows for too long. At times it may feel a bit academic to some, but I really enjoyed it.

DNF @ 43% - I have a degree in Anthropology with a huge interest in Egyptology so I was really excited to read this one. Unfortunately this book reads like a very dry textbook and not written in a linear order, which made it difficult to follow at times.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. Having a natural curiosity of Egyptian times, I was drawn to the book title. Understanding women who have been overlooked in history is another area I like. Both come together perfectly in this book. So little was documented during this time of exploration do to men not caring or thinking it was important beyond the artifacts found. This text teaches us writings from women who were there for health issues or relaxation jumped started an area of exploration and eventually education/careers for other women in Egyptology. For me the real excitement of the book was learning that the first woman to earn an Egyptology degree was from my hometown and yet I knew nothing of her. This was disappointing at first but gave me inspiration to share her story and recommend this book to others. The book is written in a format that is by person so some stories have overlapping pieces as these women crossed paths and became friends, supporters and colleagues. I love that casual observations made by these women have become a bedrock of what happened, who was involved and snapshots into life during these times. I highly recommend this informative and easy read.