Tutankhamun / by T.G.H. James ; photographs by Araldo de Luca (White Star, 2006) Hardcover, 319 p. ISBN 9788880954514 (Deluxe edition (2007), 9788854403550)

Tutankhamun, the so-called boy Pharaoh, may not have been the most powerful or most important of the Pharaohs, but today he is one of the best known. Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of his tomb and all of the glorious treasures it contained immediately captured popular imagination all over the world. The fate of those responsible for discovering, removing, and curating the treasure, which gave rise to theories about "King Tut's curse" has only heightened fascination with this previously obscure monarch.

In Tutankhamun, T.G.H. James has written an overview of the young Pharaoh's life, reign, and death, along with the history of Carter's discovery. Grave robbers ransacked the tomb at least once in ancient times. Anyone looking for a scholarly speculation about them, their fate, and why other ancient tombs were cleaned out so much more thoroughly will have to look elsewhere.

James' text of Tutankhamun serves mainly to provide background information for Araldo de Luca's photographs, not as a piece of thorough archeological scholarship. As such, most of it comprises detailed descriptions of the various objects Carter and subsequent archeologists found in the tomb. These objects testify to the skill and artistry of the ancient Egyptian craftsmen who designed and created them.

The stunning photographs, specially commissioned for this book, bring readers as close as possible to owning all of the wonders of the tomb for themselves. The regular edition of Tutankhamun contains 400 color images, as well as eight pages of oversized gatefolds. The deluxe edition, two inches taller and an inch thicker, comes in an elegant slipcase. It has additional pictures, plus a 3-D map of the various chambers of the tomb. Coffee table books do not come any more spectacular than Tutankhamun. All-Purpose Guru Alert offers the best bargain books, one carefully selected title featured each day.

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