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In Search of the Immortals – Howard Reid’s 1999 Headline trade paperback exploring the mummy cultures of the world, from the Chinchorros and the Chachapoyas “Cloud People” to the Taklamakan mummies of China, the bog bodies of northern Europe and the Guanches of the Canary Islands. An absorbing read on how ancient peoples faced death and the afterlife, in good used condition with foxing and cover wear.
1 in stock
In Search of the Immortals – Mummies, Death and the Afterlife by Howard Reid was first published in 1999 by Headline Book Publishing in London. This copy is the first printing of the Headline trade paperback, printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives.
The ancient Egyptians are famous for preserving their dead, but they were far from alone. In In Search of the Immortals, Reid travels across the world to the other great mummifying cultures. He covers the Chinchorros of the South American coast, whose practice began thousands of years before Egypt’s, and the Chachapoyas, the “Cloud People” of the Andes. He also visits the strikingly well preserved mummies of China’s Taklamakan desert, linked to the people of the Silk Route, and the sacrificed bodies recovered from the peat bogs of northern Europe.
One of the most interesting parts of In Search of the Immortals deals with the Guanches of the Canary Islands. Reid examines their advanced mummification methods and their possible cultural links with Egypt. He draws throughout on his own experience of finding, excavating and filming mummies, which gives the book a personal, first-hand feel rather than that of a dry textbook.
Beyond the archaeology, In Search of the Immortals becomes Reid’s own enquiry into why so many cultures went to such lengths for their dead, and what this says about the human response to death. It will appeal to readers of ancient history, archaeology and anthropology, to anyone fascinated by Egypt and mummies, and to collectors of popular history titles from the late 1990s.
Condition – Good
A good used copy of this 1999 trade paperback. The wrappers show creasing and general shelf wear, with some damage including a crease towards the top corner of the front wrapper and rubbing to the edges and spine. Foxing is present to the preliminary pages, most noticeably on the title page, and the page edges are toned with age. There is a small nick at the top edge of the copyright page. An honest used copy of an out-of-print title.
