This the first English translation of Giehlow's celebrated Die Hieroglyphenkunde now recognized as the classic and pioneering statement on the origin and history of the Renaissance obsession with Egyptian hieroglyphs. The original, published in 1915 and inspired by Giehlow's discovery of a 16th century Latin manuscript of the Hieroglyphica of Horapollo illustrated by Albrecht Durer, has been described by critics as 'monumental', a 'masterpiece', 'incomparable' and 'brilliant'. Raybould's translation is equally hailed as 'near to flawless', one which brings the text into the top 5% of books in the field and one which will reinvigorate the discussion of the hieroglyphic phenomenon in the Renaissance. Apart from a critical introduction and extensive notes, this edition includes the original Durer pictures printed in colour.