Book of the Sphinx

by Willis Goth Regier

Overview

Sphinxes can be found in many places other than Egypt; on stamps, postcards, in comics, as figurines, bookends, candle-holders, brooches and amulets, in fiction and romance, in paintings and on posters. This book explores the riddle that is the sphinx.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750938617
Publication date:	12/31/2005
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 1.50(h) x 9.50(d)

About the Author

Willis Goth Regier has pursued Sphinxes at the University of Nebraska, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. He now seeks Sphinxes at the University of Illinois.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
1. Phix and Horemakhet
2. Secrets
3. Confrontations
4. Riddles
5. Body
6. Eros
7. Mind
8. Symbol of Symbols
9. Exit
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Regier. . . . Offers here an erudite account of appearances of the Sphinx. . . . So intimate is Regier's familiarity with the Sphinx that this reviewer would be astonished if he missed even one reference to this remarkable composite monster. An added joy is Regier's light and witty tone and his engaging prose, which frequently rises to the level of poetry."—Choice

CHOICE

“A very accomplished, well-written book. Book of the Sphinx is immensely erudite, with a wealth of references from all historical periods, from ancient Egypt to modern times, and from the most diverse realms.”—Jonathan Culler, the author of Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics and the Study of Literature

Jonathan Culler

“From ancient art to contemporary popular music, Regier ranges widely in exploring the meaning of the enigmatic image of the sphinx. . . . A compelling book about an engaging subject.”—Booklist

Booklist

"Book of the Sphinx is a delight. Willis Regier is not only very learned but also creative in making fiction, even poetry, out of the myth of the Sphinx and the histories of that myth. His own retellings are artful and compelling."—Gregory Nagy, author of Plato's Rhapsody and Homer's Music: The Poetics of the Panathenaic Festival in Classical Athens

Gregory Nagy

Delightful. . . . Book of the Sphinx is happy all the way through: a grab bag , treasure trove, and star chart of the mythic monster's whereabouts in art, religion, history, and literature, with the winks, nods, footnotes, bird trills, and memory-bank shots of a scholar so intimately at home that he seems, like his subject, to be playing with his food. The illustrations are as sly as the text. . . . Regier [is] my hero of culture for the month."—John Leonard, Harper's

Harper's - John Leonard

“Idiosyncratic, fun, and poetic.”—Joshua Glenn, Boston Sunday Globe

Boston Sunday Globe - Joshua Glenn

“A successfully playful work of nonfiction that situates itself in the academic landscape somewhere between cultural history and comparative literature, Sphinx is both scholarly and imaginative. . . . Every good library should have it, and so should every coffee table.”—Joshua T. Katz, American Journal of Archaeology

Joshua T. Katz

“This impressive book, based on solid scholarship lightly worn, playfully tracks the Sphinx through history, art, literature, and illustration, and is likely to produce a wave of Sphinxophilia. . . . Regier is an unrivaled guide.”—ForeWord Magazine

ForeWord Magazine

“From ancient art to contemporary popular music, Regier ranges widely in exploring the meaning of the enigmatic image of the sphinx. . . . A compelling book about an engaging subject.”—Booklist

Booklist

“Idiosyncratic, fun, and poetic.”—Joshua Glenn, Boston Sunday Globe

— Joshua Glenn

Boston Sunday Globe

Delightful. . . . A grab bag, treasure trove, and star chart of the mythic monster's whereabouts in art, religion, history, and literature, with the winks, nods, footnotes, bird trills, and memory-bank shots of a scholar so intimately at home that he seems, like his subject, to be playing with his food. The illustrations are as sly as the text.”—John Leonard, Harper’s Magazine

— John Leonard

Harper's