A literary, social and political portrait of Alexandria during the first half of the twentieth century. The author draws on diaries, letters and interviews to explore the city's unique communities, highlighting the social and political changes over the decades that led to Nasser's Egypt. Haag also describes the relationship of writers Lawrence Durrell, E.M. Forster and Constantine Cavafy to the city and their contribution to its literary life. Index, notes, maps, xiv, 368pp, USA. YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

The highlights of the ancient cities of Cairo and Luxor are presented in a concise format, with fold out maps and a directory of places to stay, eat and shop. Includes travel tips and details of excursions further afield. Index, 96pp, UK. NEW HOLLAND, 1843305356

Beginning at Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames embankment and ending at the original site of the monument in Heliopolis in Egypt, the author travels by bike along the water ways of Europe, through France, Germany and the Middle Eastern countries of Syria and Lebanon. Index, map, apps, b/w illus, 248pp, UK, 1852279842

A pocket sized guide to Egypt, describing where to go and what to do from the Mediterranean Coast to Lake Nasser and the Red Sea. Includes a brief history of the country and guides for shopping and bargaining, eating out and accommodation. Illustrated with colour photographs and maps. Index, 144pp, UK. BERLITZ PUBLISHING CO, 9812465162

A lavishly illustrated guide book with over 1000 photographs, illustrations and maps, cutaways and floor plans of the major sites, and 3-D aerial views of Cairo's most interesting districts. Includes the usual travel advice, information and listing for accommodation, safety, shopping and eating. Index, 352pp, UK. DORLING KINDERSLEY.

Combines a travel guide and pull-out travel map (scale 1: 2 000 000) in a convenient and durable plastic wallet. The handy Travel Guides are crammed with useful information, travel tips and recommendations for the traveller. Favouring essential and practical travel data over extended essays, their clearly presented, easy-to-carry format is both attractive and practical. Col illus throughout, bib, 128pp, UK. NEW HOLLAND.

8th edition of this popular travel guide. Contains all usual information on travel, language, health and accommodation. Also provides information on cruises along the Nile and diving in the Red Sea, Pharaonic Egypt, and the major cities and countryside excursions. Illustrated with detailed maps and colour photographs. Index, Index, gloss, 588pp, UK. LONELY PLANET.

Sixth edition of this comprehensive guide, with practical information, informed discussion of Egyptian culture, past and present, and evocative descriptions of the great landscapes, from the Nile valley to the Sinai coast and the oases of the Western Desert. This edition includes colour maps and illustrations and a guide to the unmissable attractions. Index, maps, gloss, xxiv, 888pp, UK. ROUGH GUIDES.

A comprehensive field guide to every mammal species recorded in contemporary Egypt. Each mammal species is described in detail, with reference to identification features, status, habitat and habits. Illustrated with b/w and colour images. BNS, 352pp, EGYPT. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO.

Updated fourth edition. A practical guide to below the surface of the Red Sea for divers and snorkellers, with detailed information on the best places to visit, access points and facilities. With many spectacular colour photographs of marine life. Countries profiled are Eritrea, The Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Index, bib, 173pp, UK. NEW HOLLAND, 1843308533

The English scholar and explorer Leo Arthur Tregenza arrived in Egypt in 1927 as a school teacher, and remained there until the 1952 Revolution. Tregenza describes a country in which the waters of the Nile still flooded and the Bedouin practiced a thousand year old way of life. BNS, 490pp, EGYPT. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO.

An anthology of travel writing about Egypt arranged by geographical areas. Writers collected here range from Herodotus to Florence Nightingale. Includes brief biographies of the travellers. Index, bib, b/w illus, 255pp, EGYPT. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, 9774248015

Already the most comprehensive guide ever for desert and oasis travel in Egypt west of the Nile, this has now been fully revised and updated for the latest generation of twenty-first century desert adventurers. Fully illustrated with some 50 maps and plans and over 270 drawings, the guide covers both the natural history and the human history of the desert and the oases. It then explores chapter by chapter the oases of Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra, Bahariya, Fayoum, and Siwa, and the desert areas of al-Diffa (the northern, semi-arid edge of the desert), the Darb al-Arbain caravan route in the south, and Uwaynat (including Gilf Kebir) in the southwest. Descrip-tions of routes, sites, people, and places are complemented by practical information on places to stay, eat, and so on. Index, bib, gloss, col photos, maps, b/w illus, 456pp, EGYPT/USA. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO.