The Mummy Congress takes us on a journey over five continents and back nearly 7,000 years. Pringle tells how mummies have been venerated as saints, fought over by politicians, collected as artistic treasures and investigated for clues to ancient civilization's drug use. In these pages lie child mummies of northern Chile, preserved household pets of ancient Egypt and the new crop of mummification services being hyped on the internet. A powerful and stimulating look at mummies, The Mummy Congress also turns our vision inwards towards our fears of mortality and our dreams of eternal life.

“All the stories sparkle. Pringle is a crackshot storyteller. She chooses the level of detail precisely, so that we see the virtual reality but do not lose the plot. Her knowledge is thorough, so readers never have to guess what the science is or what it means. Her writing is clear, direct and intense. She is unusually adept and obviously loves the mummies.”
-The New York Times Book Review

“Pringle is particularly sharp on the popular culture aspect of mummies (which is, let's face it, how most of us encounter the subject), and she skillfully packs in the hard-core scientific info alongside blackly comic tidbits. The historical aspects are assiduously detailed, with the significance of mummies for ancient cultures brought vividly to life...Her engrossing book even manages to address key issues about our attitudes towards death, often suggesting we are not so distant from the ancients in this area as we'd like to believe.”
-Publishing News

“The Mummy Congress is often morbid, sometimes strange, but always compelling. For those with steely stomachs, it's a fascinating exploration of humans and their histories. With great sensitivity, Pringle brings these subjects to life, conveying her own awe at these long-dead beings who still speak to us.”
-The Christian Science Monitor

“Creepily informative and ghoulishly entertaining. This is a book to take you from the edge of your chair to the edge of the autopsy table and the centre of many ethical debates.”
-Ottawa Citizen

“She has a keen eye for the telling detail, and she's a dab hand at quick character study...she leads us from astonishment to astonishment....As compelling as Reinhard's mummies is Pringle's dissection of the political intrigue and international scientific rivalry fomented by their discovery.”
-The Globe and Mail

“By balancing the eerie fascination of mummies and the colorful personalities of those who have made mummies their avocation. Pringle's book outclasses any Hollywood horror flicker in entertainment as well as information value.”
-Booklist (starred review)

“I found this book both informative and entertaining, containing current knowledge of the status of mummies around the world, and addressing the ethical and scientific issues in a clear concise way. Definitely geared for the general public, the book has plenty to engage the scientist as well.”
-About Archaeology

"I never imagined that a book about mummies and mummy inspectors could be so engrossing. Heather Pringle has done a remarkable job. I read it with scarcely a pause."
-Evan S. Connell, author of Son of the Morning Star