Edward William Lane (1801-76) published this work in two volumes in 1836. Resident in the country for many years, and fluent in Arabic, he devoted his life's study to Egypt. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Institut de France, Lane translated One Thousand and One Nights and selections from the Koran. His major work was an Arabic-English lexicon; a monumental undertaking, he was working on the sixth volume when he died. Volume 1 of Modern Egyptians offers detailed accounts of climate, housing, education, domestic life, religion, law, government, language, literature, sciences and magic. Volume 2 focuses principally upon Cairo's vibrant public space, covering drug use, games, street music and dancers, among much else. A bestseller in its own day, this well-illustrated work remains a key text for students of nineteenth-century Egypt and the Arab world.

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