The photographer Fred Boissonnas agreed in 1929 to produce for the Egyptian government a 'luxury' volume on Egypt that would follow the format he had made so popular two decades before, that of the monumental 'En Grèce par monts et par vaux' (1910). Published under the official patronage of the king, to whom the first copy of the limited edition would be delivered, the book would 'give an accurate and vibrant picture of Egypt and its thousand-year history', thanks to the accompanying texts written by various specialists on the country's history, archaeology and geography and, above all, the photographic illustrations. The photographer and publisher would be given 18 months in which to produce a comprehensive and definitive portrait of Egypt1. Drawing on new archival material, this study examines the inception and objectives of the 'Egypte' commission, focusing on the progress across Egypt of a photographic campaign of many months and on the nuanced reception of the work that resulted, published in 1932 at the height of the world economic crisis.