The Egyptian hieroglyphic script is one of the most beautiful, fascinating and expressive writing systems ever invented. In Ancient Egypt, only an elite few could read and write hieroglyphs, but now you too can read and write a selection of names, titles, descriptions, sayings, greetings - even insults!

For the Ancient Egyptians, nothing could exist without a name - names held the spark of life. Hieroglyphs offer a flexible, subtle and powerful way to write not just the sound of a name but its meaning and essence.

Dr Angela McDonald describes how the Egyptians composed names for the elements of their world and shows you, with practical guides, how to create names (and greetings and complaints and insults!) in hieroglyphs for yourself, your friends, your pets - even your house. There are step-by-step tips on how to draw some of the trickier signs, or you can copy or trace the hieroglyphs from the book.