Extinct languages

This is by far the best book I have read (and keep re-reading) on ancient languages and their decipherment. Johannes Friedrich is obviously a master of his subject, and yet he and his gifted translator - Frank Gaynor - put that deep learning into easily accessible prose. The book is hard to put down, even on a second or third reading, and yet it does not achieve such readability by over-simplification or omission. It is more than a book on antique languages, it is an opportunity to visit with a very great mind.

Originally translated from the German in the late 1950's, this book leads off with the tale of the great decipherments of the nineteenth century: Egyptian hieroglyphs, the various languages using cuneiform, and the Hittite/Luwian native script. It goes on to give a glimpse at some texts in languages which had not yet been fully figured as of the date of its writing, including languages for which much progress has been made, like Carian, and languages that still baffle readers, like the Rongo-Rongo script of Easter Island. The information here is dated, but its chief value is to whet one's interest in the intriguing world of archaeological decipherments. It's no wonder it went through many reprints and is relatively easy to find.