Pitts, Mike. Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King. Thames & Hudson. Nov. 2014.208p. photos, maps, notes, index. ISBN 9780500252000. $29.95. HIST
Popular interest in the English Wars of the Roses (1455-85) has in recent years been focused by Philippa Gregory's historical novels and the derivative television series The White Queen. The period ended with the defeat and death of King Richard III by Henry Tudor (Henry VII) at Bosworth on August 22, 1485. It also concluded by leaving some engaging mysteries unsolved: the whereabouts of Richard Ill's mortal remains and his disputed role in the disappearance of his young nephews, the princes in the tower. Pitts (editor, British Archaeology) tells the fascinating story of the fortuitous collaboration of archaeologist Richard Buckley and the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, in conjunction with writer Philippa Langley and the Richard III Society, that resulted in the Grey Friars Project excavations of a car park in Leicester, England. The very first effort yielded the bones of the lost king in September 2012. The author traces the months of scientific analysis of the remains, culminating in the February 2013 announcement that DNA evidence of Richard III had been found. VERDICT This remarkable cold-case-file narrative, intended for general readers, is a must for all English history buffs as well as readers interested in contemporary urban archaeology.--Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL