Daniel Myerson

This microhistory follows the lives of Napoleon and Jean-Francois Champollion as they converge at the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone.

Sounds interesting? It did to me, too, but it sadly falls short of expectations. Poorly organized, the narrative seems to flit here and there, giving random details of both lives and often seeming to forget its purpose, since the Rosetta Stone barely makes an appearance. I mean, you'd think it would at least end with some treatment of how Napoleon and Champollion are explicitly tied to one another through the discovery of the Stone, but we don't really even get a treatment of Napoleon's men *finding* the Stone at all! Champollion's life seems interesting from what I can cobble together here, but the structure and the needed details are badly lacking. Also, points off for not understanding what a hapax legomenon is (he doesn't just use it incorrectly, he actually gives an incorrect definition). So, overall, disappointing.… (mehr)