Gardening Sale!
 
 

Special Offers see all

Enter to WIN!

Weekly drawing for $100 credit. Subscribe to our Specials newsletter for a chance to win.
Privacy Policy

More at Powell's

Recently Viewed clear list

Original Essays | May 1, 2013

Josh Hanagarne: IMG Seven Books That Actually Changed My Life

5 comments By Josh Hanagarne

I'd predict that 99 percent of the small talk in the staff elevator at my library involves the following question and its answers: "Are you reading... Continue »
  1. $18.20 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

    Josh Hanagarne 9781592407873
spacer
Ships free on qualified orders.
$3.95
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Burnside Archaeology- World Prehistory

More copies of this ISBN

The Mummy Congress

by

The Mummy Congress Cover

ISBN13: 9780786865512
ISBN10: 0786865512
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $3.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When science journalist Heather Pringle was dispatched to a remote part of northern Chile to cover a little-known scientific conference, she found herself in the midst of the most passionate gathering of her working life – dozens of mummy experts lodged in a rambling seaside hotel, battling over the implications of their latest discoveries. Infected with their mania, Pringle spent the next year circling the globe, stopping in to visit the leading scientists so she could see firsthand the breathtaking delicacy and unexpected importance of their work.

In The Mummy Congress, she recounts the intriguing findings from her travels, bringing to life the hitherto unknown worlds of the long-dead, and revealing what mummies have to tell us about ourselves.

Review:

"An engrossing discussion, lurid title aside, of mummies: how they're made, where they're found, what scientists and historians learn from them....The author has done her homework, revealing a subject far more complex and interesting than it might seem at first." Kirkus

Review:

"Pringle's mummy experts are livelier than a crypt full of stacked corpses. This is high praise given how successfully the author animates the dead in this delightfully macabre piece of mortuary globe-trotting....Pringle's mummies and the men and women who love them make for fascinating and lively reading; this book is sure to have, as they say, a very long shelf life." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"...Heather Pringle has done a remarkable job. I read The Mummy Congress with scarcely a pause." Evan S. Connell, author of Son of the Morning Star

Review:

"...It has been joked that mummy congresses are meetings of mummies, not about mummies. Heather Pringle certainly dispels that notion." Niels Lynnerup, co-organizer of the upcoming World Congress on Mummy Studies

Review:

"Science writing at its best. The riveting story of intrepid researchers who reconstruct the dead." Paul Hoffman, author of The Man Who Loved Only Numbers

Review:

"Pringle is a crackshot storyteller...Her writing is clear, direct and intense." New York Times Book Review

Book News Annotation:

Pringle, an archaeological and anthropological reporter and author, writes a lively description of the results of her year-long journey around the world visiting leading scientists involved in the excavation, examination, and study of "the everlasting dead," from the lifelike remains of medieval Italian saints to preserved bog bodies in the Netherlands and frozen Inca princesses.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:

An acclaimed journalist unravels the mysteries of mummies by following the scientists who devote their lives to studying them. The World Congress on Mummy Studies brings together mummy experts from all over the world and airs their latest findings. 16-page color insert.
back to top

About the Author

Heather Pringle is a journalist and writer who has written on archaeology and ancient cultures in numerous magazines including Discover, National Geographic Traveler, New Scientist, Science, and Geo. She is also the author of two books, including In Search of Ancient North America. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
back to top

Table of Contents

The Congress — The dissector's knife — Hosts — Drug barons — Crime stories — Invaders from the West — Master race — The merchants of mummy — Celebrites — The incorruptibles — Despots — Children — Self-preservation — Coda.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
crowyhead, August 29, 2006 (view all comments by crowyhead)
After Heather Pringle attended the Mummy Congress, an academic convention for the archaeologists and others who specialize in the study of mummified humans, she was so fascinated that she sought out experts in the field to help satisfy her curiosity about mummies. Along the way, she also reflects on why we are so fascinated by mummies, and what that fascination has historically meant for the treatment of mummified humans. This is a really interesting book, since it reveals the scope of mummy research -- mummies aren't just in Egypt, they have been found all over the globe. Sometimes I was frustrated because I really wanted to spend more time on the individual cases, but since it's sort of an overview of the field it's not possible to cover everything there is to know about the various archaeological sites. I recommend this if you have an interest in archaeology and share my fascination with eerily well-preserved human remains.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780786865512
Subtitle:
(science, obsession, and the everlasting dead )
Author:
Pringle, Heather
Publisher:
Theia
Location:
New York
Subject:
Archaeology
Subject:
Anthropology - Physical
Subject:
Body, human
Subject:
Death & Dying
Subject:
Physical anthropology
Subject:
Mummies
Subject:
Forensic anthropology
Subject:
Human remains
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Edition Description:
Includes bibliographical references.
Series Volume:
105-37
Publication Date:
c2001
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
368 p., 16 p. of plates
Dimensions:
8.57x5.85x1.20 in. 1.49 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. Cave Beneath the Sea Used Hardcover $35.00
  2. Bog Man & the Archaeology of People Used Trade Paper $6.95
  3. Legal Considerations for Fire and... Used Trade Paper $78.00
  4. The Mummies of Ürümchi Used Hardcover $12.50
  5. The Parthenon Used Hardcover $11.00
  6. Letters from Sardis Used Hardcover $3.48
back to top

Related Subjects

History and Social Science » Archaeology » World Prehistory
History and Social Science » Sociology » General

The Mummy Congress Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$3.95 In Stock
Product details 368 p., 16 p. of plates pages Hyperion Books - English 9780786865512 Reviews:
"Review" by , "An engrossing discussion, lurid title aside, of mummies: how they're made, where they're found, what scientists and historians learn from them....The author has done her homework, revealing a subject far more complex and interesting than it might seem at first."
"Review" by , "Pringle's mummy experts are livelier than a crypt full of stacked corpses. This is high praise given how successfully the author animates the dead in this delightfully macabre piece of mortuary globe-trotting....Pringle's mummies and the men and women who love them make for fascinating and lively reading; this book is sure to have, as they say, a very long shelf life."
"Review" by , "...Heather Pringle has done a remarkable job. I read The Mummy Congress with scarcely a pause."
"Review" by , "...It has been joked that mummy congresses are meetings of mummies, not about mummies. Heather Pringle certainly dispels that notion."
"Review" by , "Science writing at its best. The riveting story of intrepid researchers who reconstruct the dead."
"Review" by , "Pringle is a crackshot storyteller...Her writing is clear, direct and intense."
"Synopsis" by , An acclaimed journalist unravels the mysteries of mummies by following the scientists who devote their lives to studying them. The World Congress on Mummy Studies brings together mummy experts from all over the world and airs their latest findings. 16-page color insert.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...




Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.