Book excerpt: The challenging and exciting life of James Henry Breasted spanned the most important years of the early western exploration of ancient Egypt. He was at the center of turbulent and world-changing events, including World War I and the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter. An immensely talented scholar, he explored the Nile Valley and its antiquities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, recording inscriptions and participating in digs with men like Petrie. At his side was his wife, as well as his son Charles, who wrote this admiring work about the life and times of his father. James Breasted was consulted with by such men as General Allenby during WWI. When Howard Carter discovered Tut's tomb in 1922, one of the first men he and his patron, Lord Carnarvon, contacted was Breasted. He not only saw the tomb shortly after its discovery, his effort to mediate between Carter and the Egyptian government when Carter was later locked out of the tomb is detailed here. You cannot understand ancient Egypt or modern Egyptology without knowing about Breasted's remarkable life. He was the founder of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, tablets, and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.