Ancient ruins and modern life along the classic route from Cairo to Aswan. The "New Yorker" called Golding's marvelous journey, in which he takes to the Nile on a rather questionable river boat, "a leisurely, grand, almost epic comedy." It contains this bit of wisdom from the captain: "He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of patience." Not bad advice.  (EGY06, $24.95)