Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King - Softcover

Pitts, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500292027 ISBN 13: 9780500292020

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2015

Synopsis

"As gripping as any detective fiction. Proof that one doesn't need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body's discovery." ―Publisher's Weekly

In August 2012 a search began, and on February 4, 2013, a team from Leicester University delivered its verdict to a mesmerized press room and to the world: they had found the remains of Richard III, whose legacy was perhaps the most contested of all British monarchs.

Prior to this major discovery, there had been little new information about Richard III for some time. With no new evidence to fuel it, the debate over what kind of man he might have been seemed to have stalled. Thus the story of the discovery of Richard III is a story of the value of archaeology―careful analysis of physical evidence backed up by the latest science and technology―and how it can change our understanding of history. Firsthand accounts from the team that found the king, along with photographs from the author’s own archives and an expanded epilogue incorporating new DNA evidence, augment this compelling detective story as the evidence is uncovered. 43 illustrations

About this title

About the Author

Mike Pitts has been the editor of British Archaeology, Britain’s leading archaeology magazine, for over fifteen years, following and reporting on an extraordinary number of discoveries and scientific breakthroughs. He is an award-winning journalist and archaeologist who has researched subjects ranging from Easter Island to Stonehenge.

Review

“Highly recommended. [Mike] Pitts effectively conveys the excitement of the discovery, clearly and vividly describing the process and the personalities. Writing this book must have been the dream of a lifetime for him, and he has risen to the occasion. STARRED REVIEW”
- Kirkus Reviews

“As gripping as any detective fiction. . . . Pitts’s book is proof that one doesn’t need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body’s discovery.”
- Publishers Weekly

“This remarkable cold-case-file narrative is a must for all English history buffs.”
- Library Journal

“This compelling and easily accessible account of the dig for the remains of King Richard III of England will appeal to a broad cross-section of readers, including history, mystery, and archaeology buffs. Combining Richard’s history and demise, the physical excavation itself, and cutting-edge forensic science involved, the author seamlessly weaves this centuries-in-the-making tale into a dramatic thriller. Pitts is an archaeologist himself, and his passionate enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious.”
- Booklist/American Library Association

“A readable archaeological perspective on the dig that led to the sensational discovery in 2012 of the skeleton of England’s King Richard III, buried in 1485. . . . Highly recommended.”
- Choice

“Pitts recounts the exhilarating dig--in which the lead archaeologist promised to eat his hat if the skeleton actually turned up.”
- Scientific American

“Illuminates the tangled, bloody wars of 15th-century England and patient excavation work of 21st-century researchers....Informative.”
- Christian Science Monitor

“An amazing story.”
- The Dispatch

“It reads like an Indiana Jones adventure, albeit without the obligatory bad guys.”
- Portland Book Review

“At its liveliest, Pitts' account reads like a police procedural, with clues, false leads, and finally a killing unraveled and a mystery triumphantly solved.... As much about the diggers as about who or what they dug up.”
- The Dallas Morning News

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0500292027
• ISBN 13: 9780500292020
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248