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Title: Motel of the Mysteries by David Macaulay ISBN: 0-395-28425-2 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 11 October, 1979 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.87 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Hilarious And Thought-Provoking
Comment: Motel of the Mysteries is simply one of the funniest books I have ever seen. And "seen" is the word, as the joy is in the illustrations. A parody of archaeologists' tendency to declare what we "know" about past civilizations based on their artifacts, the book presents the unearthing of a nondescript motel two thousand years after the sudden collapse of Western civilization. The fun is in the labeling of the various elements discovered: a showercap becomes a ceremonial death cap, a dinner tray an offering to the gods, a toilet seat a piece of sacred religious neckwear. Macaulay makes his point and has fun doing it. I pick up this book again and again whenever I'm in the mood for an intelligent chuckle.
Rating: 5
Summary: Motel of the Mysteries
Comment: David Macaulay is widely known for his writings, which include such works as Cathedral and Pyramid. As a boy, Macaulay was fascinated by simple machinery. Years later, he published many award-winning books, and eventually produced his comic work, Motel of the Mysteries.
Motel is about an historical dig in the distant future. In the year 4022, all the North American continent has been buried under billions of tons of debris from a combined postal error and bad luck which occured in 1985.
Howard Carson, an amateur archaeologist, is running in a marathon, when he crosses the site of an old dig from years past. He falls into an undiscovered, underground room with a door on one side. Finding a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, he realizes he has discovered an ancient tomb of the inhabitants of the nation that once existed there.
Gathering a small team of archaeologists and assistants, including his wife, Carson sets to work on the site to uncover the secrets of Usa. After three years of excavation, the site is uncovered fully and Carson begins to understand some of the strange burial practices of the citizens of Usa. Once the work is complete, Carson's findings, including the Sacred Urn and Music Box (a toilet) are displayed in a special Yank museum.
Motel of the Mysteries is a short book, but within its cover lies spellbinding material. With wit, brains, and spectacular illustrations, David Macaulay relates an undeniably witty story of a camel-hump scientist and his fall into the history books.
Rating: 5
Summary: A book ALL Archaeologists / Historians should read
Comment: If you are a fan of David Macaulay's books about the contruction of such wonders as a Cathedral, Pyramid, City, Mill, etc ... then you will really enjoy this book about future archaeologists / explorers "discovering" the burried ruins of an American motel room in the 41st century ... and the miss-identification of just about every item found.
I think that this is a book that every archaeologist / historian should read because it perfectly explains the traps that we may fall into when trying to explain the past using present day knowledge and sensibilities.
The events portrayed in this book show the reader just how easy it is to make a mistake ... even when one's best intentions are at stake.
Then again, it is a David Macaulay (always great) and it is funny! Especially the Museum Gift Store items displayed at the end of the book.
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Title: Rome Antics by David Macaulay ISBN: 0395822793 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 27 October, 1997 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: City : A Story of Roman Planning and Construction by David Macaulay ISBN: 0395349222 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 24 October, 1983 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Pyramid by David Macaulay ISBN: 0395321212 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 26 April, 1982 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Castle by David Macaulay ISBN: 0395329205 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 25 October, 1982 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Mosque by David Macaulay ISBN: 0618240349 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 27 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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