THE ICEMAN

From the co-author of Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex (1992), a scanty but fascinating report on a Copper-Age mummy discovered in 1991 on the mountainous border between Austria and Italy. Two themes stand out: first, the incredible chain of coincidence by which the body was preserved, protected from a glacier, exposed, and found before it could thaw and decompose; second, its rough treatment by souvenir hunters, vandals, local and national authorities, and even the scientists who hastily removed it from the site to prevent further depredations. Lessem's tale is enhanced by vivid color photos of the body and accompanying artifacts; but rather than discussing in detail how such finds are analyzed in the lab, he pads the book with a speculative account of the iceman's life and demise, illustrated with competent but unilluminating paintings. An intriguing, if disappointingly slight, glimpse into the realities of archaeological research. Index. (Nonfiction. 9-12)