A History of Egyptian Mummies, and an Account of The Worship and Embalming of the Sacred Animals by Egyptians

London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1834. First edition. Hardcover. poor to g. Small folio. (xxi) 264pp. [1] + 13 plates. Original grey-green textured cloth boards. White printed label with black lettering on the front cover. Frontispiece plate. This work is a foundational and scholarly early English-language text for the study of traditional Egyptian mummification and funereal practices by English surgeon and antiquarian Thomas Joseph Pettigrew. Also discussed are other similar mummification examples from other world cultures for comparisons. The work contains 13 beautifully illustrated plates, some engraved in b/w and some in color (truncated) with hand-colored over-painting in gilt (including the frontispiece), 10 of which are by acclaimed English illustrator George Cruikshank. The front includes a list of subscribers and a table of contents. Errata at the rear.

Binding with front board detached but present. Covers with some soiling, scratches and sunning and some older adhesive residue. Extremities with some bumping, rubbing, and/or light chipping, including the head & tail of the spine. Front cover with paper label chipped. Interior with a closed tear, some pencil notes and creasing to the front free endpaper. Light sporadic water stains, foxing and/or smudges throughout the text. Some plates with water staining. Binding in poor, interior in good condition overall. (Inventory #: 44239)