Howard Carter (1) (1874–1939)

Howard Carter was a man who found his bliss serendipitously. He did not come from the landed gentry class, he was not a "public school boy," yet he was in the right place at the right time to fall in with a wealthy peer of the British realm. Through this relationship, Carter was able to educate himself in an art and science that truly was fledgling.

The world at large berated him and the newspapers excoriated him for not opening up the tomb for immediate inspection. His painstaking work was show more carried out in spite of, not in collaboration with those who should have known better.

And, surprisingly, he wasn't a bad writer. He kept my attention, for the most part, though I found myself sometimes much in sympathy with the hordes who wanted in NOW!

I wonder how his preservation/conservation techniques compare with 21st c. ones? I know that color photography would have been a boon for this book...oh well, nothing for it: I must make the trip to Cairo to see King Tut for myself! show less

This is, properly, only the first volume of Carter and Mace's account of the exploration of "Tut's" tomb, though this particular volume gives important background as to how the tomb was discovered and initially excavated. One of the other interesting aspects of the book is that it gives you a keen insight into the methods used to preserve very fragile artifacts, as of the early 1920s. I had started this book, put it aside, and then picked it up again, and read it in nearly one long session. show more Quite absorbing on a few different levels, and recommended. show less

When I did honours in Classics I was forced to take a module on Ancient Egypt because the Head of the Department was potty about the subject: my motherwas also an enthusiast so I had been brought up learning about tombs, temples and treasures, Pharoahs and pyramids, and had no wish to study it on a more formal basis.

Needless to say, my wished counted for nothing and I was plinged into an intense six months during which I had a crash course in Egyptology and had to examine Egyptian art in show more excrusiating detail. No knowledge is ever wasted and I'm glad I was forced to do it, but I must admit to finding much of it rather boring at the time.

Because his tomb was largely unplundered, Tutankhamen and his treasures form a large part of any study of Egyptian artifacts: pectorals, collars, bracelets, earrings, girdles, necklaces, anklets; chairs, chariots, beds, stools, screens, board games; vases, statues, canoptic jars, lamps, caskets, Gods, statues, toys, models and shawabti figurines - I grew to know the lot.

I also knew the story behind the discovery of the tomb backwards - who doesn't? - and was really not keen to read Carter's book on the subject. I must admitt though, cliched as this sounds - it reads like a thriller, was a real page turner, and I could hardly put it down.

I wish my copy was better bound - the pages were coming out - and that it was lighter and more handy so I could read it in bed: on the other hand, a smaller book - while more handy - would not be able to contain the plethora of magnificent illustration, both colour and black and white.

Howard Carter may have been a rogue, an adventurer and a thief but he certainly knew how to tell a good story! Despite my misgivings and reluctance, I ended up enjoying this book thoroughly! show less

So Tutankhamun (and Egypt) have always held a special place in my heart. So for be, being able to read about that first year of the discovery of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb was just amazing for me.
I also recently got to go to the King Tut exhibit at the California Science Center, which was utterly amazing (and partly why I read the book).
This was a really well done book, and I’m so glad I read it.
Review Two: I still really enjoyed reading this book. I think it’s absolutely show more fascinating and amazing that we are able to get into Howard Carter’s head (since he wrote this based on his notes) and see that first year after the discovery. Some of the information is and does feel a little dated, given when it was written and what we know now, but I still recommend this as a read show less