Battiscombe Gunn's Studies in Egyptian Syntax (1924) is one of the
fundamental works in Egyptian linguistics. the book, which has long been
unobtainable, was published when the author was working for Alan H.
Gardiner, who was preparing his renowned Egyptian Grammar (1st Edition
1927, 3rd edn 1957). Gardiner perceived the significance of Gunn's work
with its major discoveries, and he incorporated a number of Gunn's ideas
in his own grammar. Gunn, however, was a perfectionist who was reluctant
to release his ideas for publication, and the Studies did not include
all the chapters he ahd written. Among Gunn's papers, now in the
Griffith Institute, Oxford, are further studies, some that he had made
ready for publication and others nearly complete, that extend his
approach and coverage. R. S. Simpson has edited all Gunn's studies that
had reached publishable form, adding half as much again to the material.
The present book is an unaltered reprint of Studies in Egyptian Syntax,
followed by the hitherto unpublished chapters. In his preface to the new
material Dr Simpson outlines his editorial principles, which include
updating text citations to refer to today's editions. As he noted,
Gunn's work continues to be influential, both for his interpretations
and for his insistence on a corpus-based approach. The newly available
chapters will thus inform current debates about the Egyptian language on
several levels. This book is essential for understanding developments in
the interpretation of Classical and Late Egyptian, as well as presenting
much that is new and highly topical.
