The Last Egyptian; A Romance of the Nile

The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile is an adventure novel for adult readers written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz. The book was published anonymously on May 1, 1908, by Edward Stern & Co. of Philadelphia. Baum left ... Read more

The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile is an adventure novel for adult readers written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz. The book was published anonymously on May 1, 1908, by Edward Stern & Co. of Philadelphia. Baum left his name off of the book because he was concerned that "masquerading as a novelist" might hurt his career as a writer for children, but he identified himself as the author of the book during his lifetime when making fantasy films for children proved a financial disaster. The novel focuses on three main characters and is written in a third-person limited point of view, which subtly shifts among the three characters, the narrator speaking with each character's very different prejudices as each becomes the temporary main focus. These three characters, in order of appearance, are Gerald Winston Bey, an English Egyptologist; an Egyptian, Kāra, and a dragoman named Tadros. Kāra, being white-skinned, is mistaken by Bey for a Copt, though he is no Christian, and he has no respect for Arab Muslims, either. Kāra claims to be a descendant of Ahtka-Rā, High Priest of Ămen, whom he says ruled Rameses II as his puppet, including hiding the latter's death for two years--archaeology says Rameses reigned 67 years, but according to Kāra, he ruled only 65. Less