Co-authored by Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock, this 1996 first edition explores controversial pseudo-archaeological theories regarding the origins of ancient Egyptian civilization, specifically focusing on the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. Bauval, a Belgian writer and engineer known for the Orion Correlation Theory, and Hancock, a prominent British journalist and author of Fingerprints of the Gods, argue that these monuments are far older than traditional Egyptology suggests, serving as a vast "astronomical map" left by a lost precursor civilization. This hardback copy, published by William Heinemann Ltd, presents in fair to good condition; while the binding remains firm and the text is unmarked, there is water staining and rippling visible along the top edges of the preliminary pages, and the dust jacket shows some light edge wear and scuffing.