The Buried Book

The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh

By: David Damrosch

Narrated by: William Hughes

One day in 1872, self-taught Assyriologist George Smith was sifting through a pile of clay tablets when he realized he was reading about "a flood, storm, a ship caught on a mountain, and a bird sent out in search of dry land". This is the riveting story of the discovery of the world's first literary epic, the "Epic of Gilgamesh".©2006 David Damrosch (P)2007 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Fascinating. Touching. Inspiring.

It starts with recent history that opened a portal to the deep well of ancient history and the first recorded times. Then, it comes back to the present to unite us all, in space and time.
As a Hebrew person, I feel touched by hearing the history and tails of my Semitic siblings and ancestors.

Why? I don't know.

This book gives me the most vivid, lucid dreams. Why I don't know but I am guaranteed an amazing adventure.

Started out okay

but then got into gossipy stories and lost the thread. I gave up at chapter five.

Excellent!! Great history of the discovery!!

Great history of the discovery of the clay tablets of Assyria. and the people involved in the start of the field of Assyriology.

A great story

The story of rediscovering the cuneiform tablets in Iraq should benefit not only those interested in history. This story is nicely compsed, never boring and actually quite interesting. The intrigues of the British "high society" scientific world in the late 1900s should come as a surprise to no one. But the most interesting part is the Sumerians and Akkadians speaking to us about their daily life some 4-5.000 years ago though the tablets. This is really mind-boggling. It is a sort of Facebook and Twitter long before computers. Well worth reading.