The first book of the Bible tells about the origins and wanderings of Israel's progenitors in Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Egypt. The final chapters of Genesis tell us about the elevation of the patriarch Joseph to prime minister in the Nile Valley. Yet very few scholars today believe that these biblical stories really happened. The authors of this book have undertaken a thorough analysis of the historical and archaeological data. Starting with the chronology of the patriarchs, they have examined the archaeological, climatological, and sociological conditions and have compared them with what is written in the biblical account. Their discovery is astounding, as according to them the information rather supports than contradicts the veracity of the biblical narratives. (303pp. color illus. Masthof Press, 2022.)