This month marks the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. British archeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discovered a step carved in stone in early November 1922. By the end of the month, they’d found the outer burial chamber of King Tutankhamun. Learn more about this historical find with these books available from the Chatham Area Public Library.
James Patterson takes on the boy king’s reign and demise in The Murder of King Tut. Patterson, and co-author, Martin Dugard, dig through stacks of evidence – x-rays, Carter’s files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages – to arrive at their own account of King Tut’s life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all. For a more visual book, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs by Zahi Hawas features hundreds of full color photographs, details about the items found in the tomb, as well as everyday life during his reign. The forthcoming book The Earl and the Pharaoh by The Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert – the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and financier for Carter’s archeological digs. The author is married to the 8th Earl and lives in Highclere Castle, made famous as the setting of the popular television series Downton Abbey. Egypt’s Golden Couple by husband and wife team, John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Darnell, brings to life the intriguing and controversial reign of King Tut’s parents. Combining fascinating scholarship, detective suspense, and adventurous thrills, renowned Egyptologists reconstruct an otherwise untold story of the magnificent reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.
These fictional stories will transport you back in time and around the world. The Visitors by Sally Beauman, is built around Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutahkhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. This evocative novel blends fact and fiction to recreate a lost world that’s still fiercely enthralling. The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters is set in the late 1800s to the early 1900s and is focused on Amelia Peabody, an Egyptologist who solves mysteries. The series starts with Crocodile on the Sandbank, but the Tomb of the Golden Bird focuses on the finding of Tut’s tomb.
These books for kids are both educational and entertaining. Who Was King Tut? By Roberta Edwards is part of the popular Who Was series that looks at the biographies of historical figures. Tut’s Mummy Lost – and Found by Judy Donnelly describes the burial of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun and the discovery of his long-lost tomb by archaeologists more than 3000 years later. King Tut by Tyler Gieseke examines the boy king both through historical narrative and through the objects discovered in his tomb. Clear text and vibrant photos grab and hold readers' interest, and QR Codes in each chapter link to book-specific videos, activities, and more.
These any many more books and movies are available with your Chatham Area Public Library card. Let these inspire you to learn more about a different time and culture this November.