Negative Positive
Title: Distinguished author, but why?
Review: Upon a recommendation from a professor of Egyptian art, I bought this book in hopes of gaining a basis of knowledge (being completely ignorant of the subject). I must admit I find Aldred utterly unreadable. He inserts commas all sorts of places they should not be, altering the meaning I intuit he is trying to convey and forcing me to reread every other sentence. I think books should introduce concepts inspiring reflection, not writing demanding deciphering. The last straw came when Aldred called a statuary material "graywacke (schist)"-a laughable conflation of geology. Please, if you want a beautifully illustrated book of Egyptian art basics, read _The Illustrated Guide to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo_: it has a lovely history lesson for each period and object, as well as inspiring photos (lacking in Aldred).
Is the review positive or negative? 