A review by docperschon
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh by David Damrosch

5.0

I love this book. I came across it after I'd been teaching Gilgamesh in World Literature for about two years. It didn't change my approach so much as illuminate it in so many ways. From uncovering the essential contributions of the overlooked Hormuzd Rassam, who uncovered many of the Gilgamesh tablets, to Damrosch's excellent summary/commentary of the Gilgamesh story, this book is filled with information which fleshed out the history of the Gilgamesh tablets. If you love ancient or nineteenth-century history, archaeology, or ancient epics, this book is a must-read. Damrosch does an excellent job of keeping the content engaging and accessible, so this one isn't just for scholars. Would go together very nicely with Stephen Mitchell's version of Gilgamesh as a study of the epic.