Hello again Scott,
If you want a book to read, I can thoroughly recommend "The Other Egypt"- (Travels in No-Mans Land) by Wael Abed. Written by and Egyptian, the text lacks somwhat in the translation, and the printing lacks in quality (produced here), but thebook in itself is excellent. As far as reading material goes, I would rate it ***** - 5star!!!.
I hope to be doing something with this man and his team in the near future as regards providing tours for foreigners, so watch this space......