Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 694 April 14, 1877.

For more than half a century the stone known as Cleopatra’s Needle has loomed over the sand‑covered shore of Alexandria, a silent invitation to engineers and dreamers alike. This lively narrative walks listeners through the succession of grand schemes—British officers in 1801, a generous Egyptian pasha, and the ambitious Crystal Palace Company—each thwarted by daunting finances, logistical puzzles, or sheer misfortune. Along the way the author brings ancient techniques to life, recalling how the Egyptians once lifted monolithic pillars with canals, barges and countless capstans, and setting the scene for a freshly imagined plan to finally move the obelisk to England.

Interwoven with lively anecdotes, the piece also offers a compact history of the monument’s origins, tracing its creation under Thutmose III and its intended placement before the Sun Temple at Heliopolis. Listeners will come away with a vivid sense of the ancient craftsmanship, the Victorian obsession with monumental gifts, and the tantalising possibility that a new solution may finally free the needle from its Egyptian grave.