Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King (Revised and Expanded)
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"As gripping as any detective fiction. Proof that one doesn't need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body's discovery." —Publisher's Weekly
In August 2012 a search began, and on February 4, 2013, a team from Leicester University delivered its verdict to a mesmerized press room and to the world: they had found the remains of Richard III, whose legacy was perhaps the most contested of all British monarchs.
Prior to this major discovery, there had been little new information about Richard III for some time. With no new evidence to fuel it, the debate over what kind of man he might have been seemed to have stalled. Thus the story of the discovery of Richard III is a story of the value of archaeology—careful analysis of physical evidence backed up by the latest science and technology—and how it can change our understanding of history. Firsthand accounts from the team that found the king, along with photographs from the author’s own archives and an expanded epilogue incorporating new DNA evidence, augment this compelling detective story as the evidence is uncovered.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Though we know how the story ends, British Archaeology editor Pitts's step-by-step account of the improbable discovery of the skeleton of the last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, is as gripping as any detective fiction. Richard died at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 and was vilified by Tudor writers Thomas More and William Shakespeare in the 16th century. Still, he had his fervent supporters over the years, Philippa Langley among them. After much research, she came to believe that Richard was buried at the site of Greyfriars friary now a parking lot in Leicester and spearheaded the campaign for excavation. Pitts introduces the major players, each of whom worked toward their own ends. Archaeologist Richard Buckley and his colleagues had little interest in a dead king but had long wanted to dig up Greyfriars. British Channel 4 was excited about a potential high-concept show. The Leicester city council saw the potential for a tourist bonanza. Only Langley believed that Richard would be found. On the dig's first day, the remains of a man with a twisted spine were uncovered, spawning a media circus. Pitts's book is proof that one doesn't need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body's discovery.
