"THERE BEFORE US LAY THE SEALED DOOR": ILLUSTRATED FIRST EDITION OF HOWARD CARTER'S DISCOVERY OF KING TUT'S TOMB
CARTER, Howard and MACE, A.C. The Tomb of Tutankhamen Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter. London: Cassell, 1923-33. Three volumes. Thick octavo, original brown cloth gilt with decorative gilt scarabs on front covers, patterned endpapers. $4500.
First edition of Carter's account of the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb, including the scarce third volume, with 247 dramatic illustrations, in original gilt-stamped cloth.
When Carter entered King Tut's tomb in 1922, he bridged 3000 years separating the reign of the Boy-King from the modern world. This first detailed account, richly illustrated with hundreds of plates after photographs taken by Harry Burton, includes images from the discovery of Tut's sepulchral chamber, the excavation of the site, and hundreds of catalogued artifacts. Because of the Depression, the third and final volume, included here, was printed in limited numbers and is consequently quite scarce. Without very scarce dust jackets. Bookplate, owner signature.
Mild foxing in Volume I, expert reinforcement to inner paper hinges, minor rubs and bumps to spine ends and corners, cloth clean, gilt bright. An extremely good copy in the original cloth.