Digging for Richard III: How Archaeology Found the King

by Mike Pitts and Debra J Dewitte

The events of Richard III’s reign and his death in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth are known worldwide through Shakespeare’s most performed, filmed and translated history play. Digging for Richard III is the page-turning story of how his grave was found, the people behind the discovery and what it tells us. It is the first complete narrative of a project that blended passion, science, luck and detection. Told by a noted archaeologist with access to all the parties involved, it follows the quest from an idea born in an Edinburgh bookshop to the day, fourteen years later, when two archaeologists carefully raised the bones from a car park in Leicester, and the scientific studies that resulted. The vivid tale of a king, his demise and now his rediscovery, this is also an insider’s gripping account of how modern archaeology really works, of how clues meticulously assembled and forensically examined are pieced together to create a narrative worthy of the finest detective fiction.

• ISBN13: 9780500252000
• Publish Date: 14 April 2014 (first published 7 April 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 15 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[lindsey]

(I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.)

Digging for Richard III is a fascinating look at the process of finding Richard III's body, and the subsequent process of determining that the body was, in fact, his.

It starts at the very beginning, when the dig was first commissioned - when no one believed that he was even buried there, much less that they would actually find him - and follows each step, up until the final press conference.

It was interesting to read about the archaeological side of the discovery, as well as the scientific side, not to mention the historical aspects involved. While not an in-depth biography of Richard III, of course, the author still manages to include some background information about him.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and while it was a bit slow at times, it still held my interest. I would recommend this to those interested in this discovery, especially if they are fascinated with archaeology.

[pamela]

There is a lot to be said for a writer with an academic background who can make history and academic sciences appealling and accessible to the general reading public. Mike Pitts in 'Digging for Richard III' has achieved this with panache.

With an historical context for every step of the journey, we can follow Richard through birth to death, through popular culture, and even modern prejudices. No stone is left unturned, and it is refreshing to see a book focus on the archaeology itself within a broader historical context.

Mike Pitts writes in a way which is wholly accessible. He has an ease of style which makes this book a joy to read. He doesn't inundate the book with unnecessary facts, a criticism I know has been levelled at this work. I felt however that he included everything necessary without making this book a boring academic treatise, as so many archaeological texts are wont to be.

If you're looking for something purely evidence based full of facts, figures, dates and name dropping, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a narrative reconstruction of one of the most fascinating archaeological finds in recent history, and indeed the process of archaeology itself, then this is a must read!

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