From Luxor with Love — A Victorian Woman’s Letters and Life in Egypt (Annotated & Introduced for Modern Readers) If you’ve ever wondered what ancient Egypt looked like through the eyes of someone who truly lived there — not as a tourist, but as a neighbor — this is your book. In the 1860s, Lady Lucie Duff Gordon was diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to Egypt in a desperate bid to prolong her life. What began as a medical exile turned into a remarkable chapter of cultural exchange, daily survival, and human connection. Not archaeology, but anthropology — before the word was popular. Lucie didn’t just admire temples from a boat. She settled in rural Luxor, learned Arabic, drank coffee with neighbors, and offered medical help to local villagers. Her letters reveal a side of Egypt few Victorian travelers ever saw — intimate, human, and astonishingly modern in its cross-cultural empathy. Why this edition? This annotated, modernized edition from The Forever Stories: Egyptian Collection is perfect for: Egyptology lovers seeking real-life context for the monuments and ruins Historians and students studying daily life in 19th-century Egypt Readers of women’s history and feminist biography Fans of travel memoirs like Out of Africa or The Caliph’s House Those curious about Victorian perspectives beyond empire and conquest It includes: An editorial foreword on Lucie’s life and legacy Historical background on Egypt’s political and cultural landscape in the 1860s A concise timeline of Egyptian history for orientation A final note honoring Lucie’s passing in 1869 A rare gem in Egyptology literature While Amelia B. Edwards documented Egypt’s ruins, Lucie Duff Gordon documented its soul. This book is for anyone who wants to walk the streets of Luxor as it was before tourism — to hear the children, smell the cooking fires, and feel the pace of Nile-side village life. The perfect Egyptology gift Whether for a student, scholar, or lifelong lover of ancient lands, this edition is a beautiful addition to any collection.