Eyewitness: Mummy [Hardcover]

James Putnam (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: DK Eyewitness Books

Discover the eternal secrets of mummies -- from the embalmed dead of ancient Egypt to bodies preserved in bogs, sand and ice.

Here is an exciting and informative guide to mummies, both natural and embalmed. Superb color photographs of preserved bodies -- from a hunter who froze to death 5,300 years ago to the mummy of Ramesses the Great -- offer a unique "eyewitness" view of how and why mummification developed. See the unwrapped bodies of Egyptian pharaohs, a Chinese princess buried in a suit of jade, the face of a Copper-Age hunter, a mummy that became a movie star, and a Peruvian mummy from high in the Andes. Learn how bog people were sacrificed, why one 5,000-year-old mummy is called Ginger, the size of the longest crocodile mummy, and how modern technology can see inside closed mummy cases. Discover how Sicilian monks embalmed their dead, what started the story of the mummy's curse, how wealthy Egyptians took servants into the afterlife, the glittering treasures of Tutankhamun, and much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal

From the Inside Flap

Photographed in full color. Unwrap  hair-raising facts about natural and man-made mummies! Here is a look at how bodies were prepared, why ancient cultures made mummies, and how bog and ice mummies were preserved by freak climatic conditions. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078945856X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789458568
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,548,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative but graphic, June 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mummy (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

Our family is a big fan of these Eyewitness books and this is an excellent overview of all types of mummies.
As a warning however, there are quite a few gruesome photographs which might scare kids younger than 6 or 7 so a parent might want to check it out in a bookstore before buying sight unseen.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mummies from Ancient Egypt to the Artic, February 10, 2005

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mummy (DK/Google E.guides) (Hardcover)

DK and Google have created a website and a book to encourage further study. This guide features age-appropriate links so children can learn more about this topic through interactive features, multimedia content, games and quizzes. They can also download images for projects.

Some of the topics in this book include:

Ancient Egypt
Masks and Coffins
Into the Underworld
Tomb Robbers
Famous Pharaohs
Peruvian Mummies
Inca Ice Mummies
An Artic Mystery
Frozen Tombs
Desert Discoveries
Modern-Day Mummies
Mummies on Display

If you have any interest in Egypt, this book is especially helpful and gives you additional links so you can go online to do further research. I think adults and children alike will enjoy seeing the artifacts and items like a painted treasure chest.

One of the strange stories in this book is about a perfectly preserved body that has now been nicknamed "Sleeping Beauty." Apparently the chemicals used to preserve her body have not been identified and she looks like she is sleeping.

Due to the content of this book, I will let you decide if this is appropriate for your child. This might be too frightening for children under the age of 9 or 10 but may be of interest to teenagers and adults.

Death is not the only focus of this book. The information about Pyramids being built to align with star constellations, archaeological discoveries and artic expeditions fill out the book nicely and give students an idea of how people lived. I found the items buried with the mummies to be even more interesting than the mummies themselves although the blue body from the bog was a little startling.

~The Rebecca Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Interesting, July 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mummy (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

The Mummy Eyewitness book was the first one I ever received. It is excellent at conveying information because it has many interesting bits of information next to beautiful pictures.