The best part of this series of small volumes is the scattering of striking photographs—women veiled in the Muslim tradition making political speeches as far back as 1919 or modern high school graduates in cap and gown showing a mixture of headscarves, mortar boards and flowing hair. However, while this book has two pages of bright colorful photos of modern Cairo—students in western dress, an outdoor café, ladies window shopping—in the very back of the book, most of the text and photography focus much more on village life and older rural customs. It is hard to glean an accurate, coherent picture of life for the great diversity of people in Egypt today. The series is divided into three volumes—“people,” “land,” and “culture.” The difficulty of such a division is immediately apparent because there are pages of ancient Egyptian history in both the “culture” and “people” volumes, and pages about “people” in the “land” book. Glossary words are highlighted in the text and there are frequent headings to simplify reading and organizing for young people.