William Matthew Flinders Petrie
It is strange that while literature occupies so much attention as at present, and while fiction is the largest division of our book-work, the oldest literature and fiction of the world should yet have remained unpresented to English readers. The tales of ancient Egypt have appeared collectively only in French, in the charming volume of Maspero’s 'Contes Populaires'; while some have been translated into English at scattered times in volumes of the 'Records of the Past.' But research moves forward; and translations that were excellent twenty years ago may now be largely improved, as we attain more insight into the language.
