The Life of Margaret Alice Murray

A biography of Margaret Murray has been long overdue. . . .Sheppard . . . writes with lucidity and purpose; she has the rare gift of being able to engage her reader throughout the 267 densely packed pages. . . .This biography is a meticulously researched work, which it has been very well worth the waiting for, by a writer who has an intrepid capacity for ferreting about in archives and in graveyards. * Egyptian Archaeology * This new book constitutes by far the most in-depth examination of this fascinating scholar yet published. . . .This biography is written in a clear and engaging manner, and is structured in a way that appropriately juggles both chronological and thematic elements of Murrays life. * Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism * This delightful book is the first full analysis of Margaret Murray's productive and colourful life. Based on sound scholarship, Kathleen L. Sheppard successfully brings to life a 'small and energetic' woman who is revealed to have been a crucial link between nineteenth- and twentieth-century Egyptology, between the world of the amateur and the professional, and between the worlds of women and men. Brightly researched, clearly and coherently written, this is a book for all audiences and all ages. It is a joy to read. -- Pamela Jane Smith, University of Cambridge Kathleen L. Sheppards biography of Margaret Murray, an important, but largely overlooked figure, makes an important contribution to the study of the history of Egyptology and archeology. Sheppards approach, and in particular her focus on the social context of Murrays work, and her position as a woman working in a series of male-dominated worlds in Britain and in Egypt, of academia and archeology in particular, is especially enlightening. -- Christopher Naunton, Egypt Exploration Society

Kathleen L. Sheppard is assistant professor of history at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Introduction. "A Life without a Single Adventure" Chapter 1. Margaret Murray's India, 1863-1894 Chapter 2. University College, 1894-1902 Chapter 3. In the Field, 1902-1904 Chapter 4. The Classroom at UCL, 1904-1935 Chapter 5. Suffrage and the New Woman, 1904-1928 Chapter 6. The Classroom-at-Large, 1904-1935 Chapter 7. The Witch-Cult Hypothesis and other Adventures on the Lunatic Fringe, 1911-1935 Chapter 8. Malta, Minorca, and other Archaeology, 1914-1939 Chapter 9. "Retirement," 1935-1963 Conclusion