Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #135 begins on 12 Nov 2026

George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, & Howard Carter

FIVE YEARS' EXPLORATIONS AT THEBES - A RECORD OF WORK DONE 1907-1911 BY THE EARL OF CARNARVON AND HOWARD CARTER (1912)

A very scarce early work by the duo who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun

Published: Henry Frowde, Oxford and London, 1912

Edition: First Edition

Reserve: $950

Approximately:

Estimate: $1500

Bidding opens: 12 Nov 16:30 GMT

Bidding closes: 19 Nov 16:30 GMT

Ships from: South Africa

Lot 66 preview

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Publisher's quarter vellum binding with black titles on front panel and titles in gilt on spine.

xii + 100 pages of text, followed by 79 captioned plates.

Preface and Introduction by the Earl of Carnarvon.

Eight of the fourteen chapters were written by Howard Carter.

The remaining six chapters were contributed by George Legrain, Percy E. Newberry, F. Ll. Griffith, Wilhelm Spiegelberg, and George 

Binding sound. Contents clean. Ex libris of Andrew Fleming on the front paste down. This copy still retains its original dust jacket which is complete except for some minor instances of paper loss along the top edge. The hinge of the rear flap is torn from the bottom upwards to the middle but with no loss of paper. The top edge is reinforced with tape on the inside.

The book is an archaeological report documenting the joint excavations by The Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter in the Theban Necropolis of Egypt between 1907 and 1911, detailing discoveries of ancient tombs, artefacts, and burial practices before their famous King Tutankhamun discovery. It details specific digs in the hills of Thebes, focusing on tombs from the 17th Dynasty up to the Ptolemaic period. It features specialised contributions from expert scholars, such as F. Ll. Griffith, George Legrain, George, Percy Newberry, and Wilhelm Spiegelberg, analysing specific inscriptions, statuettes, and hieratic texts. It provides meticulous photographs, architectural drawings, and descriptions of funerary objects, jewelry, and chapels recovered during the five-year permit window.

FIVE YEARS' EXPLORATIONS AT THEBES is a work produced by the efforts of two men who shared an obsession for ancient Egypt and who had not the slightest idea that in a mere ten years they would make the greatest discovery of the 20th century.

  • Jacket Condition: Fair
  • Binding Condition: Near Fine
  • Size: 36 x 27cm


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