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The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder Paperback – December 3, 2024

by Douglas Preston (Author), David Grann (Foreword)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 713 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
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Douglas Preston, the #1 bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God, presents the jaw-dropping discovery of a vast Egyptian tomb containing dozens of sealed burial chambers, as well as recounting tales of pirate treasure, mysterious deaths, archaeological mysteries, and more, now in paperback.

What’s it like to be the first to enter an Egyptian burial chamber that’s been sealed for thousands of years? Where might a blocked doorway or newly excavated corridor lead? And what might this stupendous tomb reveal about the most powerful pharaoh in Egyptian history? 

From the jungles of Honduras to macabre archaeological sites in the American Southwest, Douglas Preston's journalistic explorations have taken him across the globe. He broke the story of an extraordinary mass grave of animals killed by the asteroid impact that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, he explored what lay hidden in the booby-trapped Money Pit on Oak Island, and he roamed the haunted hills of Italy in search of the Monster of Florence. When he hasn't been co-authoring bestselling thrillers featuring FBI Agent Pendergast, Preston has been writing about some of the world’s strangest and most dramatic mysteries.

The Lost Tomb brings together an astonishing and compelling collection of true stories about buried treasure, enigmatic murders, lost tombs, bizarre crimes, and other fascinating tales of the past and present.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    December 3, 2024
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.84 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1538741237
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1538741238
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[S]o skillfully sketched is the lure of the unknown in Preston’s collection of essays. From the safe distance of the pages of The Lost Tomb, we are allowed a delicious taste of what it is to be consumed with the desire to know, even when all evidence points to the fact that, maybe, we are better off leaving a mystery alone.”―Bookpage, starred review

AMAZON HISTORY BOOK OF THE MONTH DECEMBER 2023―Amazon

“[A] gripping compendium of his journalistic work […] Throughout, Preston tackles his subjects with the obsessive enthusiasm of an amateur detective and the skills of a seasoned novelist; even those who read the articles when they first were published will take pleasure in new afterwords that provide updates about Preston’s theories. This is unbeatable reading for armchair sleuths.”―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Buffs of buried-treasure and long-ago true-crime tales will enjoy Preston’s expertly woven tales."―Kirkus

"Sometimes nonfiction is even more intriguing than fiction, and Preston certainly knows how to keep readers’ attention while taking them on a journey into the mysteries of the past."―New York Journal of Books

"“The pieces are so good and the reporting so thorough that The Lost Tomb is a worthy addition to library collections.”―Booklist

"[I]mmersive and unputdownable"―Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

"[T]he true crime book you've been waiting for."―The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“The Lost Tomb is a seminal work about things that really do go bump in the night that proceeds to show us exactly how that can be. An extraordinary achievement in all respects.”―BookTrib

“If Indiana Jones had kept a diary, it might have read much like Preston’s new nonfiction work. After discovering a forgotten city in the Amazonian forest, an undertaking he documents in The Lost City of the Monkey God, the author travels across the globe, seeking to solve some of the ancient world’s most beguiling mysteries.”
 ―Alta

“THE LOST TOMB could not have come along at a better time […] this is a book worth savoring.”―Book Reporter

"[A] must-read for adventure, true crime, and New Mexico enthusiasts."―New Mexico Magazine

"A welcome addition to Preston’s truly gripping and impressive body of work."―BookTrib

Praise for The Lost City of the Monkey God

"Memoirs of jungle adventures too often devolve into lurid catalogs of hardships [but] Preston proves too thoughtful an observer and too skilled a storyteller to settle for churning out danger porn. He has instead created something nuanced and sublime: a warm and geeky paean to the revelatory power of archaeology...Few other writers possess such heartfelt appreciation for the ways in which artifacts can yield the stories of who we are."―The New York Times Book Review

"A well-documented and engaging read...The author's narrative is rife with jungle derring-do and the myriad dangers of the chase."―USA Today

"Deadly snakes, flesh-eating parasites, and some of the most forbidding jungle terrain on earth were not enough to deter Douglas Preston from a great story."―The Boston Globe

"Breezy, colloquial and sometimes very funny...A very entertaining book."―The Wall Street Journal

"This modern-day archeological adventure and medical mystery reads as rapidly as a well-paced novel, but is a heart-pounding true story."―Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)

About the Author

Douglas Preston worked as a writer and editor for the American Museum of Natural History and taught writing at Princeton University. He has written for the New Yorker, Natural History, National Geographic, Harper’s, Smithsonian, and the Atlantic. The author of several acclaimed nonfiction books—including Lost City of the Monkey God, Cities of Gold and The Monster of Florence—Preston is also the coauthor with Lincoln Child of the bestselling series of novels featuring FBI agent Pendergast.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (December 3, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538741237
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1538741238
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.84 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 713 ratings

About the author

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Douglas Preston

Douglas Preston

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Douglas Preston is the author of for books, both fiction and nonfiction, thirty-two of which have been New York Times bestsellers, with several reaching the number 1 position. He has worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. His first novel, RELIC, co-authored with Lincoln Child, was made into a movie by Paramount Pictures, which launched the famed Pendergast series of novels. His recent nonfiction book, THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, is also in production as a major television series from Apple. His latest book, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD, tells the true story of the discovery of a prehistoric city in an unexplored valley deep in the Honduran jungle. In addition to books, Preston writes about archaeology and paleontology for the New Yorker, National Geographic, and Smithsonian magazines. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards in the US and Europe, including a shared Edgar Award and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College. From 2019 to 2023 he served as president of the Authors Guild, the nation's oldest and largest association of authors and journalists.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
713 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very interesting and praise the writing style as great. They also appreciate the amazing stories and exquisite glimpses into the past.

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Entertainment valueWriting styleStories
22 customers mention "Entertainment value"18 positive4 negative

Customers find the book interesting, intelligent, and thought-provoking. They also say the topics are varied and informative.

"...The stories or chapters cover a wide range of topics. But they are all fascinating. This is intelligent and creative story telling...." Read more

"These are excellent essays on mysteries unsolved that have bedeviled the author over the years...." Read more

"Wonderful informative work by Mr. Preston. I especially loved the lost tomb story...a real life adventure and wonderfully descriptive...." Read more

"...The topics are varied, and the author's skill in descriptions of the incidents and characters involved will keep the pages turning...." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing style"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style great.

"...being said, it's great to have these all in one place, and the writing is superb." Read more

"...loved the lost tomb story...a real life adventure and wonderfully descriptive. Will definitely follow up on Mr. Week's work!" Read more

"...However, these are well written, well researched true mysteries that had inspired Preston's fiction...." Read more

"...The first story will suck you in. The rest are well written and interesting...." Read more

6 customers mention "Stories"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the stories in the book amazing and filled with drama. They also say the actual stories are true and filled.

"...This is intelligent and creative story telling. These are true life tales that cover topics from murder to psychology and anthropology...." Read more

"...I especially loved the lost tomb story...a real life adventure and wonderfully descriptive. Will definitely follow up on Mr. Week's work!" Read more

"...All the actual stories are true and filled with drama, death, cover ups, cons and more...." Read more

"Fast Delivery, Great author, Great stories!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Newfmom
5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2024
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Douglas Preston has just become my favorite author, and that is saying a lot. this book is composed of many different stories, based on articles that Mr. Preston had previously written and published. The stories or chapters cover a wide range of topics. But they are all fascinating. This is intelligent and creative story telling. These are true life tales that cover topics from murder to psychology and anthropology. It's a good ride and it leaves you thinking.
2 people found this helpful
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Masha
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not new
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2024
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These are excellent essays on mysteries unsolved that have bedeviled the author over the years. I did not realize that these are all pre-published essays with no photos or illustrations, and that is why I removed a star. That being said, it's great to have these all in one place, and the writing is superb.
3 people found this helpful
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Tine
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Tomb;and Other...
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024
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Wonderful informative work by Mr. Preston. I especially loved the lost tomb story...a real life adventure and wonderfully descriptive. Will definitely follow up on Mr. Week's work!
One person found this helpful
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J. K. Campbell
3.0 out of 5 stars Take this one to the airport
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024
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Douglas Preston is a prolific writer who knows how to spin both fictional and nonfictional tales which hold the reader's interest. After giving his previous nonfiction effort, 2017's " The Lost City of the Monkey God", a five-star rating this book was a bit of a disappointment.
The thirteen stories included are simply recycled magazine articles which were published between 1988 and 2021 with brief updates to the present at the end of each segment. The topics are varied, and the author's skill in descriptions of the incidents and characters involved will keep the pages turning. Cable television series by Josh Gates, Bill Shatner, and Dan Aykroyd will make some of the stories seem familiar.
Although subjects like Egyptology, forensic paleontology, and historical archeology may not appeal to everyone, Preston's prose and the episodic nature of this book make it a fine companion for those interminable airport waits which are now unavoidable. The absence of accompanying photographs, index, or bibliography document the lackadaisical effort involved in this project, however.
12 people found this helpful
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Admiralu
5.0 out of 5 stars The Stories Behind Several of the Author's Books
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
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This book is a collection of stories about the basis of articles the author wrote for various magazines. What really makes this book a treat is that these stories behind the articles are the basis of many of the author's wonderful books. All the actual stories are true and filled with drama, death, cover ups, cons and more. For me, the most heartbreaking was the author's nightmare experience with the Monster of Florence crime investigation that left the author unable to return to one of his favorite countries. Pick up the book of the same name for the full story. The book is great, narrator is so monotone, parts can get boring. Those sections I read.
7 people found this helpful
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A. Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars Douglas Preston may not be Indiana Jones…
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2024
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…but I bet he has explored more ancient civilizations! From Luxor to the ancient inhabitants of the south-west to the jungles of south and Central America, he has traveled extensively. And shares his insights intelligently and entertainingly.
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LvMiBez
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well written
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
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As much as I like Preston, I almost passed on this new anthology because I assume it would focus on creepy, macabre stories that I dislike. However, these are well written, well researched true mysteries that had inspired Preston's fiction. E.g., "The Skeletons at the Lake" is an absolutely fascinating discussion of how our perceptions of European "whiteness" are false, and refutes the Nazi storyline of racist history. Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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John Baca
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite living author
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024
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Since around 2008, Douglas Preston has become my favorite living author. I have read all of the books written by Mr Preston, both his fiction (some written by him as a solo author and others written in collaboration with Lincoln Child), and his nonfiction (also some written as a solo author and others written in collaboration with Mario Spezi). Some of his works I have read more than once.

Before Preston and Child became famous for the release of the Agent Pendergast story, Relic, Mr Preston was a nonfiction journalist working for several different reputable publications. Mr Preston compiled the nonfiction material presented here in The Lost Tomb from that journalistic work.

Other excellent nonfiction that Mr Preston has authored include The Lost City of the Monkey God, The Monster of Florence, Talking To The Ground, and Dinosaurs In The Attic. These are all full length stories placed in incredibly differing localities around the world, and in some direct way Mr Preston actually lived through them. He is a part of each of these books. Where the previously mentioned books are each a full length book devoted to one general theme, this book, The Lost Tomb, is a compilation of several short stories, each different from the other. Each is its own theme, and, the themes vary widely.

If you have never read Douglas Preston, The Lost Tomb would be a good “first book” choice for Mr Preston’s nonfiction work. If you have read his nonfiction work already, then you probably already like his work, and if that’s the case, The Lost Tomb should also be a part of your library.

But, in any case, there is something in this book that will capture the attention and entertain anyone and everyone that likes to read.
16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

michael richards
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book so far.
Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2024
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Got it same day and started it last night. So far sogood. Recommend anything by either Douglas Preston or Lincoln Child, especially the co-authored works.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2024
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This is one of the best books I've read in years. After reading it's initiated many more books to order in the future.
One person found this helpful
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