Henry Hincks was rector of the Church of Ireland for most of his life (1792-1866) His avocation and passion, however, was the decipherment of ancient texts. He began with hieroglyphics, newly
decoded by Champollion, and moved on to eventually cracking the mystery of Akkadian, written in cuneiform. In this second volume of Hincks’ letters, dating from 1850-1856, Cathcart (Near
Eastern languages, University College, Dublin) covers Hincks’ discoveries in cuneiform and his frustration in not being allowed access to materials, being constantly thwarted by a rival. The
letters between Hincks and scholars in England and France detail both the joy of shared enthusiasms and the superficially polite ways in which ambitious scholars could back stab. The fine
points of translation will be fascinating for Egyptian and Near Eastern scholars, although the politics will be distressingly familiar. Distributed by Dufour. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc.,
Portland, OR (booknews.com)
