'Curl’s work might well come first in order of recommended reading. It is ... systematic ... and provided with a strong line of argument which is maintained from start to finish. His range of examples is most impressive.'

'Certainly the influence of Egyptian architecture in the West has been constant, if not permanent, hence the subtitle to Curl’s comprehensive and enthralling study of the phenomenon ... yet another monument to his knowledge and tireless industry. Never guilty of mere orthodoxy, he demonstrates the perennial obsession with Egyptian forms with a wealth of illustration...'

'Curl’s field of investigation is enormous ... He analyses the persistence of the Egyptian style with great pertinacity and imparts a huge range of information. The ground covered by his choice of illustrations is huge, and his bibliography makes a great contribution to scholarship and serious future enquiry.'

'Once again Curl has brought his formidable scholarship to bear on a subject which ... has not received the attention It deserves ... Curl moves with majestic logic through the strange history of this 2000-year-old European obsession ... Curl’s mastery of his material is as impressive as ever, and this book will be, without doubt, the last word on the subject.'