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A Passion for Egypt: A Biography of Arthur Weigall
This compelling biography of Arthur Weigall, the British Egyptologist and Chief Inspector of Antiquities, chronicles his involvement with the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb under Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. Weigall came into conflict with Carter and Carnarvon over newspaper reporting of the famous find. His remarks to the press during that time led to the infamous story of the ""Curse of the Pharaohs."" This biography brings to life the atmosphere, intrigue, and intense competition in Egypt during the first quarter of the 20th century.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 27, 2011
Hankey not only resurrects Weigall from unjustified oblivion in this highly entertaining biography, she offers many intriguing new tidbits on other, better-known Egyptologists of the early twentieth century. Those interested in stage and screen of that period will find an unexpected bonus in her account of Weigall's work on stage and in film. Recommended without reservation.
May 5, 2015
I finished it! This wasn't that long but it was pretty dense, and the pages were very big.
The way it goes on, I'm surprised that nobody seems to have ever heard of him and he's not mentioned in any of the other books I've read lately.
Interesting stuff, worth picking up if you're interested in people, less so if you're interested in the archaeology of Egypt. He potters around for a while, the politics of the people running the show get very complicated and then he goes back to England and becomes a set-designer and writer. Eventually he dies and everyone's like "oh Tutankhamun killed him booo, he was rubbish anyway" and the world moves on.
Not bad though. Odd that he was so popular at the time and yet even his last book hasn't been in print since the 40s. Onwards!
The way it goes on, I'm surprised that nobody seems to have ever heard of him and he's not mentioned in any of the other books I've read lately.
Interesting stuff, worth picking up if you're interested in people, less so if you're interested in the archaeology of Egypt. He potters around for a while, the politics of the people running the show get very complicated and then he goes back to England and becomes a set-designer and writer. Eventually he dies and everyone's like "oh Tutankhamun killed him booo, he was rubbish anyway" and the world moves on.
Not bad though. Odd that he was so popular at the time and yet even his last book hasn't been in print since the 40s. Onwards!
March 25, 2026
absolutely brilliant!
Weigall's life was a wild ride! Worth a read for a anyone interested in Egyptology.
Weigall's life was a wild ride! Worth a read for a anyone interested in Egyptology.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews