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Rating: 
Summary: Portrait of a hero
Review: Mainly and above all, this book gives you a great insight into what might be called "the golden age of archaeology in Egypt". I greatly enjoyed all the little stories covering the various social events of that time (particularly the "party at the ombdeh's") which manage to cover Weigall's own colourful imagination and way of storytelling.
Nevertheless, this biography never quite suceeds in bringing you near Arthur Weigall as a person. What I disliked most was the apologetic tone in which Hankey tried to "answer" several references to Weigall made by TGH James in his book "Howard Carter - The Path to Tutankhamun". It almost seems as if Hankey desperately tries to make clear to the reader that in reality, Weigall was a truly "heroic" guy, fighting for Egypt's heritage, while the "evil" Howard Carter was putting stones in his way.
There is no doubting the fact that Carter was a pretty difficult character but reading Hankey's book, one begins to suspect that Weigall was one as well - a fact not really admitted by his granddaughter.
In comparison to James, who painted a very objective and not in the least biased picture of the person he portrayed in his biography (Carter), Hankey trusts in letting Weigall's own views and thoughts speak for themselves without ever trying to question them.
For me, Weigall's behaviour towards Carter and Carnarvon during the Tutankhamun excavation is still more than questionable, even if one has to share his views concerning the "Times"-agreement and the division of antiquities.
In the end, for me, Howard Carter with all his faults remains the more interesting personality, especially when compared with Julie Hankey's semi-perfect Arthur Weigall.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story about a great story teller
Review: This book is really a great read. Not only does it give you a great deal of insight about Weigall and his exploits, but it also has a lot of good stories about Egypt and it's exploration during it's most colorful time period of the early 20th century. I have always enjoyed Weigall's books and his ability to weave a good story and describe what it would be like to be exploring various sites while on his inspection tours. This book really goes into a great deal about his crusade to save and catalogue monuments instead of just digging for "treasures". He doesn't seem to get his due for what he tried to accomplish under the difficult conditions he had to work within at the time. What I also found interesting was the perspective of his relationship with Howard Carter from more his point of view versus what is more often seen discussed from Cater's. Being that it was written by his grand-daughter I'm sure there's a little bit of bias there. Either way, it is truly a great book written about a great author. Wiegall showed that a history book doesn't have to be dry and boring. It seems that his grand-daughter inherited that trait too!
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