Edward William Lane (1801-1876), Arabic scholar, first went to Egypt in 1825 for the sake of his health. He made several voyages up the Nile and came to speak Arabic fluently, even adopting Egyptian manners and dress. He was therefore perfectly equipped to begin work on an intimate study of Egyptian life. His other works include a translation of the Thousand and One Nights, and an exhaustive thesaurus of the Arabic language. Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians was first published in two volumes in 1836. It remains a standard work on the subject. Every page contains some item of essential information regarding Arab life: from religion, law and literature, through to domestic matters, art and superstition. The edition is reproduced in facsimile from the 1896 edition, and it retains the abundance of rich and usual photographs and engravings.