The Valley of the Kings: The Tombs and the Funerary of Thebes West
Not since Kamal el-Mallakh's The Gold of Tutankhamen (1978) has such a lavish book on Ancient Egypt been offered that will appeal to both general readers and scholars. Weeks (Egyptology, American Univ., Cairo), who discovered the tomb of the sons of Rameses II, as described in his The Lost Tomb (LJ 10/1/98), has assembled an international team of experts to interpret for the nonspecialist the wonders of the Theban necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern Luxor. Unlike John Romer's recently reprinted popular classic Valley of the Kings, the title in this case is somewhat misleading since, in addition to the most significant tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the survey similarly covers the Valley of the Queens, the royal valley mortuary temples, and the tombs of the nobles, all dating to the New Kingdom (ca. 1570-1070 B.C.E.). The large trim size gives best advantage to the more than 800 incomparable color illustrations, some on fold-out pages. Plans and cutaway reconstructions help orient the reader for an exciting virtual tour. The bibliography is scholarly but also contains popular titles. A spectacular achievement; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FLCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.