Carl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884) was a pioneering Prussian Egyptologist considered one of the founders of modern Egyptology. He was commissioned to lead an archaeological expedition to Egypt by the Prussian King Frederick Wilhelm IV in 1842. This 1858 English translation presents an 1856 publication that contained one of the first detailed discussions of the obscure 22nd Dynasty of ancient Egyptian kings. The 22nd Dynasty were descendants of Libyan settlers who ruled between c.943 and 716 BCE in the Third Intermediate Period of Egyptian history, a period characterised by episodes of political instability. Lepsius discusses the chronology of succession in the 22nd Dynasty with reference to texts uncovered by himself and the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. Although some of Lepsius' assertions regarding the origin of the 22nd Dynasty are now known to be incorrect, his book is still a valuable account of the early historiography of the 22nd Dynasty.

In the early 1800s John Bell moved his family from North Carolina to the rich bottom lands along the Red River in Robertson County, Tennessee. Bell, an elder in the Red River Baptist Church, was well-liked and respected by most in the community and prospered as a farmer. As Bell worked hard to raise his family and to carve out a living, the unusual, unexpected, and terrifying happened. Between 1817 and 1821 the Bell family were allegedly tormented day and night by some heinous menacing spirit called a "witch" known as "Kate." Kate's remonstrations and activities were witnessed by many in the community. The events eventually led to the death of John Bell, and he is the only person whose demise is attributed to the work of a spirit. Written only seventy-three years after the awful events transpired, this is the story of the Bell Witch. This is the eyewiteness account by a member of the Bell family.