Hieroglyphs are pictures used as signs in writing. When standing before an ancient tablet in a museum or visiting an Egyptian monument, we marvel at this unique writing and puzzle over its meaning. Now, with the help of Egyptologists Mark Collier and Bill Manley, museum-goers, tourists, and armchair travelers alike can gain a basic knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Collier and Manley's novel approach is informed by years of experience teaching Egyptian hieroglyphs to non-specialists. Using attractive drawings of actual inscriptions displayed in the British Museum, they concentrate on the kind of hieroglyphs readers might encounter in other collections, especially funerary writings and tomb scenes. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of hieroglyphic script or Middle Egyptian grammar and encourages acquisition of reading skills with practical exercises. The texts offer insights into the daily experiences of their ancient authors and touch on topics ranging from pharaonic administration to family life to the Egyptian way of death. With this book as a guide, one can enjoy a whole new experience in understanding Egyptian art and artifacts around the world.

馬剋•科利爾，埃及學博士，現為英國利物浦大學埃及學教授，教授《中古埃及語》《晚斯埃及語及科普特語》《晚期埃及語文獻》《僧書體文字》等課程。自2007年以來擔任《埃及考古學雜誌》（Journal of Egyptian Archaeology）主編。

比爾•曼利，埃及學博士，蘇格蘭埃及學學會名譽主席，利物浦大學名譽研究員。1995年曾被愛丁堡國傢博物館委任為助理研究員，2006年曾被該館委任為埃及文獻高級管理員。

陳永生，漢語言文字學博士，畢業於華東師範大學中國文字研究與應用中心，現任教於中國海洋大學文學與新聞傳播學院，碩士生導師。2014-2015年美國布朗大學埃及學與亞述學係訪問學者。研究興趣主要集中於漢字與其他古文明文字的比較研究，專攻漢字與古埃及文字的比較研究。