Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King

Though we know how the story ends, British Archaeology editor Pitts’s step-by-step account of the improbable discovery of the skeleton of the last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, is as gripping as any detective fiction. Richard died at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 and was vilified by Tudor writers Thomas More and William Shakespeare in the 16th century. Still, he had his fervent supporters over the years, Philippa Langley among them. After much research, she came to believe that Richard was buried at the site of Greyfriars friary—now a parking lot in Leicester—and spearheaded the campaign for excavation. Pitts introduces the major players, each of whom worked toward their own ends. Archaeologist Richard Buckley and his colleagues had little interest in a dead king but had long wanted to dig up Greyfriars. British Channel 4 was excited about a potential high-concept show. The Leicester city council saw the potential for a tourist bonanza. Only Langley believed that Richard would be found. On the dig’s first day, the remains of a man with a twisted spine were uncovered, spawning a media circus. Pitts’s book is proof that one doesn’t need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body’s discovery. (Nov.)