Buy New
 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
$7.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
126 used & new from $3.34

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

or

Get a $0.40 Amazon.com Gift Card
 
   
Motel of the Mysteries
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Motel of the Mysteries (Paperback)

~ David Macaulay (Author)
Key Phrases: Sacred Urn, Motel of the Mysteries, Great Sign
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

List Price: $13.00
Price: $9.36 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.64 (28%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Friday, March 19? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
33 new from $7.26 92 used from $3.34 1 collectible from $14.95

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Library Binding $22.00  
Paperback $9.36  
Unknown Binding --  

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with But I'm Not a Reading Teacher: Strategies for Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas by Amy Benjamin

Motel of the Mysteries + But I'm Not a Reading Teacher: Strategies for Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

But I'm Not a Reading Teacher: Strategies for Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas

But I'm Not a Reading Teacher: Strategies for Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas

by Amy Benjamin
$25.70
Pyramid

Pyramid

by David MacAulay
4.3 out of 5 stars (15)  $9.95
Castle

Castle

by David MacAulay
4.8 out of 5 stars (26)  $9.95
Unbuilding (Sandpiper)

Unbuilding (Sandpiper)

by David MacAulay
4.4 out of 5 stars (5)  $9.34
Underground

Underground

by David MacAulay
4.4 out of 5 stars (10)  $9.95
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David Macaulay . . . is a superb craftsman and an imaginative writer and illustrator . . . His new book is a marvel of imagination and a comfortable satire. He projects a time when our civilization will have been buried . . . As always with Mr. Macaulay's books, wonderfully illustrated." (The New York Times )

"David Macaulay . . . is a superb craftsman and an imaginative writer and illustrator . . . His new book is a marvel of imagination and a comfortable satire. He projects a time when our civilization will have been buried . . . As always with Mr. Macaulay's books, wonderfully illustrated." -- Review

"David Macaulay . . . is a superb craftsman and an imaginative writer and illustrator . . . His new book is a marvel of imagination and a comfortable satire. He projects a time when our civilization will have been buried . . . As always with Mr. Macaulay's books, wonderfully illustrated." The New York Times

Product Description

It is the year 4022; all of the ancient country of Usa has been buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. Imagine, then, the excitement that Howard Carson, an amateur archeologist at best, experienced when in crossing the perimeter of an abandoned excavation site he felt the ground give way beneath him and found himself at the bottom of a shaft, which, judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, was clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one of then on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber, permitted him to piece together the whole fabric of that extraordinary civilization.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 96 pages
  • Publisher: Graphia (October 11, 1979)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0395284252
  • ISBN-13: 978-0395284254
  • Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #2 in  Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Literary Criticism
    #5 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( M ) > Macaulay, David
    #81 in  Books > Entertainment > Humor > Parodies

More About the Author

David MacAulay
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's David MacAulay Page

Inside This Book (learn more)


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Motel of the Mysteries
92% buy the item featured on this page:
Motel of the Mysteries 4.8 out of 5 stars (38)
$9.36
Castle
3% buy
Castle 4.8 out of 5 stars (26)
$9.95
The New Way Things Work
3% buy
The New Way Things Work 4.9 out of 5 stars (47)
$23.10
Underground
2% buy
Underground 4.4 out of 5 stars (10)
$9.95

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

38 Reviews
5 star:
 (32)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A funny send up of a scholarly subject., August 17, 2001
This book was actually a gift from my Mother who knows I enjoy things archaeological and historical. Since she`s more than a trifle eccentric and has a marvelous sense of the absurd, I've a sneaking suspicion she was poking a little fun at me--which is something I probably need once in a while for my own good.

The Motel of the Mysteries is a wonderful send up of the fields of archaeology and history. It's aim is doubtless to entertain, at which it's vastly successful, but over and above that the book makes quite clear what archaeology legitimately can and cannot do. I think it also points out that what is taken as "The Reality" of the past is often as much a function of current cultural biases and of the personal motives of individual researchers as it is of what actually occurred in the past. (This was made quite clear to me when I saw Knossos on Crete for the first time and realized that a great deal of imagination had gone into the reconstruction of the "Minoan" buildings there).

My favorite parts of Motel were Archaeologist Carson's interpretation of the hotel bathroom as the inner sanctum of a religious structure and the subsequent depiction of his assistant--ala Heinrich Schliemann with the Trojan treasure and Leonard Wooley with the Ur III treasure--wearing bathroom accoutrements as religious paraphernalia.

The author also pokes fun at museums and at all of us, when he includes a collection of "Souvenirs and Quality Reproductions" available for sale at the end of the book. My favorite is the coffee set based on the "sacred urn" (toilet). Goodness knows I've purchased my fair share of quality reproductions on my travels throughout the world!

This should be suggested reading for every college history and archeology major and required for those seeking degrees over BA in these fields!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book ALL Archaeologists / Historians should read, July 25, 2003
By Gordon K. Werner (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
If you are a fan of David Macaulay's books about the contruction of such wonders as a Cathedral, Pyramid, City, Mill, etc ... then you will really enjoy this book about future archaeologists / explorers "discovering" the burried ruins of an American motel room in the 41st century ... and the miss-identification of just about every item found.

I think that this is a book that every archaeologist / historian should read because it perfectly explains the traps that we may fall into when trying to explain the past using present day knowledge and sensibilities.

The events portrayed in this book show the reader just how easy it is to make a mistake ... even when one's best intentions are at stake.

Then again, it is a David Macaulay (always great) and it is funny! Especially the Museum Gift Store items displayed at the end of the book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Motel of the Mysteries, November 13, 2002
A Kid's Review
David Macaulay is widely known for his writings, which include such works as Cathedral and Pyramid. As a boy, Macaulay was fascinated by simple machinery. Years later, he published many award-winning books, and eventually produced his comic work, Motel of the Mysteries.
Motel is about an historical dig in the distant future. In the year 4022, all the North American continent has been buried under billions of tons of debris from a combined postal error and bad luck which occured in 1985.

Howard Carson, an amateur archaeologist, is running in a marathon, when he crosses the site of an old dig from years past. He falls into an undiscovered, underground room with a door on one side. Finding a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, he realizes he has discovered an ancient tomb of the inhabitants of the nation that once existed there.
Gathering a small team of archaeologists and assistants, including his wife, Carson sets to work on the site to uncover the secrets of Usa. After three years of excavation, the site is uncovered fully and Carson begins to understand some of the strange burial practices of the citizens of Usa. Once the work is complete, Carson's findings, including the Sacred Urn and Music Box (a toilet) are displayed in a special Yank museum.
Motel of the Mysteries is a short book, but within its cover lies spellbinding material. With wit, brains, and spectacular illustrations, David Macaulay relates an undeniably witty story of a camel-hump scientist and his fall into the history books.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Some kids will love this
I've had this book for ages, and read it to my 8-yr-olds yesterday, after seeing "The Treasures of Tomb 10A" at the Boston MFA. Read more
Published 25 days ago by C. Virtue

5.0 out of 5 stars Archaeology in Satire
Archaeologists play around in other people's garbage, destroy historical context, and then proclaim that centuries of serious historical scholarship is all wrong. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Robert Davis Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting parody
This is a very short book. I would imagine it is supposed to be geared to a younger audience. It involves the interpretations of 41st century archeologist in excavating a Motel... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mythadventures

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny but not no much for kids
I really enjoyed this when I read it years ago in school. I bought it for my 9 year old thinking he'd really enjoy it too, but now I realize that the humor is a bit over his head... Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Marek

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Send-Up
I attended the premiere of this book at the University of Pennsylvania many, many years ago due to my parent's donations to the local public television station. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jennifer L. Gordon

5.0 out of 5 stars Motel of the Mysteries
It was recomended by a teacher friend. It's quirky, funny & full of imagination. I have read books by Elisabeth Peters on archeology & discovering Egyption tombs so I enjoyed this... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Missy's Mom

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is a "scream!"
When this book first was published, the Hotel Technology department head inadvertently had the college library purchase this book for the department. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Barbara Stienstra

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentle poke at our preconceptions
I've carried my copy of this book over many moves. It grows on me each time I read it. Originally it seemed just a humourous retelling of the Carter discovery of Tutankhamun and... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Richard Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars Join in the mysteries!
The 41st Century is full of mysteries. Like what happened to Ancient Yankees who lived in North America? Why did they die out and how did they live. Read more
Published on February 6, 2008 by Michael Valdivielso

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting perspective
Motel of the mysteries is a fun, easy read.
Everyday items are seen in the light of future archeologists, with interesting, funny and sometimes insightful interpretations... Read more
Published on January 24, 2008 by J. R. Watson

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.