Cracking the Egyptian Code: The Revolutionary

While some of Europe's most intelligent scholars failed to crack the hieroglyphic code, it was an impoverished, arrogant and brilliant child of the French Revolution who made the vital breakthrough. In the first biography in English of this most celebrated code-breaker, Andrew Robinson charts the dramatic life and achievements of Jean- Francois Champollion (1790-1832), including his expedition to the Valley of the Kings and his appointment as the world's first professor of Egyptology.

Andrew Robinson is a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, Literary Editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, and author of over 20 books, including Sudden Genius: The Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs, The Story of Writing, Writing and Script: A Very Short Introduction, and The Last Man Who Knew Everything.