Retaining dust jackets, the three volumes of The Tomb of Tutankhamen Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter sold for £4200 at Atkins Auctions.
Howard Carter published his personal account of the discovery of the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamen in three volumes.
This, the first detailed assessment of the most famous archaeological find of the century, is illustrated with 413 plates including many of the famous series of photographs taken by Harry Burton.
The first volume was issued by Cassell & Company in 1923, only a year after the tomb was opened.
Dramatic discovery
It includes Carter’s famous description of the dramatic moment of discovery: “At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold – everywhere the glint of gold.
“For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously ‘Can you see anything?’, it was all I could do to get out the words ‘Yes, wonderful things’.”
The second volume of The Tomb of Tutankhamen Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter followed in 1927 with the scarce final volume issued in 1933.
By that time the sensation that was King Tut had cooled and the onset of the Great Depression meant it was issued in only small numbers.
Three volumes of The Tomb of Tutankhamen Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter, £4200 at Atkins Auctions.
Dust jackets intact
Most surviving copies are displayed in their brown cloth with decorative gilt scarabs embossed to the covers.
The set that came for sale at Atkins Auctions (17% buyer’s premium) of Axminster, Devon, on July 1 was among the handful that come with the original dust jackets intact.
Estimated at £200-400 (the price of a set in relatively poor condition), it instead went to an online buyer via thesaleroom.com at £4200.
