Product guide

Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt — Kindle Edition

Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt is Barbara Mertz’s account of everyday life across ancient Egyptian society. The Kindle listing describes a revised and updated edition focused on topics such as food, clothing, homes, papyrus, and pyramid building, with an accessible, witty approach reported by customers.

At a glance

Covers daily activities and customs among people across different social strata in ancient Egypt.
Topics listed include papyrus making, pyramid construction, clothing, food, dining manners, and home furnishings.
The listing describes the edition as revised and updated.
Kindle features include screen reader support, enhanced typesetting, Word Wise, and Page Flip.

Price

$3.99Save 86%

Reference price: ~~$27.99~~

Price checked: Nov 12, 2026

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Pros and cons

Pros

Its everyday-life focus spans material culture, domestic routines, and social customs rather than only rulers and monuments.
Customer feedback describes the writing as informative, engaging, humorous, and readable.

Technical specifications

13 specifications

Edition and publication
Publisher	HarperCollins e-books
Publication date	January 25, 2011
Edition	2nd ed.
Language	English
Print length	436 pages

Kindle format
File size	10.2 MB
Screen Reader	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	Enabled
X-Ray	Not Enabled
Word Wise	Enabled
Page Flip	Enabled

Identifier details
ISBN-10	9780062087164
ISBN-13	978-0062087164

Who is it for?

A good fit for

Readers seeking an accessible account of everyday life in ancient Egypt.
Readers interested in food, clothing, housing, papyrus, and social customs alongside historical context.

Less suited to

Readers primarily looking for a visual guide, since no illustrations or visual content are specified in the listing.
Readers who need X-Ray, which the Kindle details list as not enabled.

Customer reviews on Amazon

4.5 / 5 · 348 ratings

5 stars66%66%
4 stars22%22%
3 stars9%9%
2 stars2%2%
1 star1%1%

Customer feedback highlights an informative, engaging, humorous, and readable account, with accessibility and the lack of academic digressions singled out. For readers looking for social and domestic detail rather than only political history, that reported style fits the book’s stated focus on daily life across Egyptian society. The aggregate ratings are generally favorable, but they do not establish why individual readers rated it as they did.

Positive themes

Readers describe the content as informative and engaging.
Feedback praises the humor and readability of the writing.

Frequently asked questions

What subjects does Red Land, Black Land cover?

The listing describes topics including how people made papyrus, built pyramids, dressed, ate, dined, and furnished their homes, across social strata.

Which Kindle reading features are listed?

Screen Reader, Enhanced Typesetting, Word Wise, and Page Flip are listed as supported or enabled. X-Ray is listed as not enabled.

What do customers report about the book's style?

The supplied feedback describes it as informative, engaging, humorous, and easy to read, including an observation that it makes historical concepts accessible without academic digressions.