The Complete Tutankhamun - Reviewed

I have the hardback of this book and very nice it is too. Similar in structure and layout to its companion title, "The Complete Valley of the Kings", it is a gentle first read but is well enough organised to serve as a reference book as well if you have a deeper interest in Egyptian History.

That doesn't mean it is boring or inaccessible for lay readers. For a start it is stuffed full of good photos. Most of the 619 illustrations are in black and white but they tend to be either the minor objects found in his tomb, or older photos such as a superb collection of photos taken while Howard Carter was cataloguing the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62). All of the main objects are shown in colour photos and the standard of reproduction is very high.

Section 1 - Tutankhamun and His Time

The first couple of dozen pages provides some background on Tutankhamun's immediate predecessors in the 18th Dynasty, particularly Akhenaten, and a summary of Tutankhamun's life.

Section 2 - Search and Discovery

The next 30+ pages describe the exploration of the Valley of the Kings particularly by Theodore Davis and Howard Carter leading up to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. The last pages in the chapter deal with the curse and he death of Lord Carnarvon.

Sections 3 to 5 - Archaeology, Tomb and Treasures

This is is meat of the book stretching over 130+ pages. It provides a detailed summary of the tomb, its layout and decoration. There are great photos of the treasures heaped in the tomb - and 'heaped' is the right word - with numbered tags. It is when the book moves to the main treasures such as the coffins, thrones and the like that colour photos are used. But this is more than just photos as objects are described in detail and, where appropriate, explained.

Summary

This book would not suit anybody who expects a detailed biography of the life of Tutankhamun. I pretty much set out what is known of his life in my own Squidoo lens on Tutankhamun. It's not that the book skimps on the life of King Tut - it's that not all that much is really known of his life. On the other hand, if you have seen his treasures in Egypt or on tour then this book is a great memory of those objects with the detail behind them as well. It also tells the story of the discovery of the tomb quite well.

I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a book on Tutankhamun or who has a broader interest in Ancient Egypt.

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