The Secret Lore of Egypt - Its impact on the West, 2001, 284 p., ill. - -

Alchemy, astrology and other secret sciences have Egyptian roots, and films, popular fiction, comic books frequently draw upon Egyptian themes. The author traces the influence of the esoteric image of Egypt, especially as it is manifested by the god Thoth, on European intellectual history since antiquity and finds it reasserted even today in the United States. Since ancient times, Egypt has been associated with esoteric practices and beliefs and regarded as the source of all secret knowledge - an association that, Hornung says, is only loosely connected with historical reality.