"It goes unappreciated by modern Egyptologists, but it is embraced by those who savor the concept of a "hidden history" of humanity, and those who approach all human knowledge from the perspective of the esoteric. Gerald Massey's massive Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World--first published in 1907 and crowning achievement of the self-taught scholar--redefines the roots of Christianity via Egypt, proposing that Egyptian mythology was the basis for Jewish and Christian beliefs"--Publisher's note.