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Motel of the Mysteries
It is the year 4022; all of the ancient country of Usa has been buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. Imagine, then, the excitement that Howard Carson, an amateur archeologist at best, experienced when in crossing the perimeter of an abandoned excavation site he felt the ground give way beneath him and found himself at the bottom of a shaft, which, judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, was clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one of then on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber, permitted him to piece together the whole fabric of that extraordinary civilization.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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4027 people want to read
About the author
David Macaulay
111 books405 followersDavid Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 394 reviews
December 12, 2019
I loved this book as a kid, and probably checked it out from the school library at least a dozen times. I recently picked up a copy of it in a fit of nostalgia, and am enjoying it all over again.
It's so good. So silly and so good, and the illustrations are lovely. Published in 1979 and poking fun at the King Tut craze of the time (there was a very splashy museum tour of the mummy and tomb artifacts in the mid-late 70's), it takes place in North America in the year 4022, millennia after the great civilization "Usa" was destroyed by and buried under a blizzard of junk mail (an unfortunate and unforeseen consequence of a reduction in postal fees).
The book meticulously documents the discovery and interpretation of the great archaeological find, the Motel of the Mysteries, which is described as a grand tomb complex that finally revealed to the world "the mysterious burial customs of the late twentieth-century North American."
It's both an extended parody of Howard Carter's discovery of Tut's tomb (here, one Howard Carson, an amateur of "unprecedented mediocrity" stumbles upon the entrance to a crappy motel room, reporting back to his colleagues that the chamber contains "WONDERFUL THINGS!") and a satirical commentary on modern American life (where the television is interpreted as the "Great Altar" towards which everything in the room must face, and the strip of gas stations and fast food joints along the highway is designated "Monument Row," with each sign representing "a different religious sect or point of view... placed as near as possible to heaven").
As a kid, much of this was lost on me - I had no idea until I picked this up as an adult, for instance, that this had any connection to real archaeology or Tutankhamun (even though the name of the motel is the Toot'n'C'mon!). Instead, what I took from this book was the utter silliness and midguidedness of Carson et al.'s reconstruction of American life. The picture of the woman wearing a toilet seat around her neck, lid fastened to her head with a paper "sanitized for your protection" band and toothbrushes dangling from her ears, was the absolute height of hilarity for me. More than that, though, the appeal of this book was the strange futuristic world it posited, where everything we know is impossibly lost and gone. This was one of my first exposures to post-apocalyptic fiction - there just aren't that many kids' picture books about the end of the world - and that idea and that imagery absolutely entranced me.
I can draw a direct line from my fascination with this book to my later fascination with books like A Canticle for Leibowitz and Riddley Walker and The Book of the New Sun - books where societies in a hazily distant future world look back on our artifacts and wonder.
As silly as it might seem, this book was foundational for me. And I still absolutely adore it.
It's so good. So silly and so good, and the illustrations are lovely. Published in 1979 and poking fun at the King Tut craze of the time (there was a very splashy museum tour of the mummy and tomb artifacts in the mid-late 70's), it takes place in North America in the year 4022, millennia after the great civilization "Usa" was destroyed by and buried under a blizzard of junk mail (an unfortunate and unforeseen consequence of a reduction in postal fees).
The book meticulously documents the discovery and interpretation of the great archaeological find, the Motel of the Mysteries, which is described as a grand tomb complex that finally revealed to the world "the mysterious burial customs of the late twentieth-century North American."
It's both an extended parody of Howard Carter's discovery of Tut's tomb (here, one Howard Carson, an amateur of "unprecedented mediocrity" stumbles upon the entrance to a crappy motel room, reporting back to his colleagues that the chamber contains "WONDERFUL THINGS!") and a satirical commentary on modern American life (where the television is interpreted as the "Great Altar" towards which everything in the room must face, and the strip of gas stations and fast food joints along the highway is designated "Monument Row," with each sign representing "a different religious sect or point of view... placed as near as possible to heaven").
As a kid, much of this was lost on me - I had no idea until I picked this up as an adult, for instance, that this had any connection to real archaeology or Tutankhamun (even though the name of the motel is the Toot'n'C'mon!). Instead, what I took from this book was the utter silliness and midguidedness of Carson et al.'s reconstruction of American life. The picture of the woman wearing a toilet seat around her neck, lid fastened to her head with a paper "sanitized for your protection" band and toothbrushes dangling from her ears, was the absolute height of hilarity for me. More than that, though, the appeal of this book was the strange futuristic world it posited, where everything we know is impossibly lost and gone. This was one of my first exposures to post-apocalyptic fiction - there just aren't that many kids' picture books about the end of the world - and that idea and that imagery absolutely entranced me.
I can draw a direct line from my fascination with this book to my later fascination with books like A Canticle for Leibowitz and Riddley Walker and The Book of the New Sun - books where societies in a hazily distant future world look back on our artifacts and wonder.
As silly as it might seem, this book was foundational for me. And I still absolutely adore it.
April 17, 2013
I've read quite a few of David Macauley's books, mostly the ones like Castle: meticulously illustrated and highly researched nonfiction. Motel of the Mysteries is another thing entirely. Set nearly two millenia after the destruction of the U.S., (apparently by being buried under a junk mail explosion) it describes the excavation of a motel, as interpretted by archeologist Howard Carson. See what he did there? If so, you are the target audience.
It can be a pretty funny book, driven by Carson's wildly inaccurate (yet oddly understandable) conclusions about the site. Obviously, it's a burial chamber (motel room), with altar (TV) and sarcophagus (bathtub). The joke can run a bit thin towards the end, though the reproductions (available for sale at the museum gift shop!) ended the book on a high note. Silly though it is, it does raise a few good questions. How much do we really know about prehistory? What has archeology really taught us about the past? And, most importantly, how would the distant future view us?
It can be a pretty funny book, driven by Carson's wildly inaccurate (yet oddly understandable) conclusions about the site. Obviously, it's a burial chamber (motel room), with altar (TV) and sarcophagus (bathtub). The joke can run a bit thin towards the end, though the reproductions (available for sale at the museum gift shop!) ended the book on a high note. Silly though it is, it does raise a few good questions. How much do we really know about prehistory? What has archeology really taught us about the past? And, most importantly, how would the distant future view us?
December 28, 2017
Motel of the Mysteries
قصة قصيرة – أو نوفيلا – ساخرة تنتمي لأدب الخيال العلمي تعود إلى سنة 1979 م، يتخيل فيها المؤلف آثاري يدعى هاورد كارسون – إشارة إلى هاورد كارتر مكتشف مقبرة توت عنخ آمون – يحاول بعد ألفي عام من زماننا البحث في أنقاض حضارة اليانكي والتي ازدهرت في قارة أمريكا الشمالية، يصل المكتشف إلى غرفة دفن يصف لنا محتوياتها بكل دقة مع رسوم توضيحية كما يحاول تفسير هذه المحتويات دينياً كما يفعل الآثاريون عادة، الطريف هو أننا كقراء نعرف أن الغرفة التي اكتشفها ليست غرفة دفن كما يظن وإنما هي غرفة فندق عادية من القرن العشرين وأن كل محتوياتها ليست إلا محتويات عادية بلا أي بعد ديني.
كتاب طريف جداً وذكي، يصل بالسخرية إلى حدودها عندما يعرض الهدايا التي يقدمها متجر المتحف الذي افتتح ليضم مقتنيات المقبرة المزعومة.
قصة قصيرة – أو نوفيلا – ساخرة تنتمي لأدب الخيال العلمي تعود إلى سنة 1979 م، يتخيل فيها المؤلف آثاري يدعى هاورد كارسون – إشارة إلى هاورد كارتر مكتشف مقبرة توت عنخ آمون – يحاول بعد ألفي عام من زماننا البحث في أنقاض حضارة اليانكي والتي ازدهرت في قارة أمريكا الشمالية، يصل المكتشف إلى غرفة دفن يصف لنا محتوياتها بكل دقة مع رسوم توضيحية كما يحاول تفسير هذه المحتويات دينياً كما يفعل الآثاريون عادة، الطريف هو أننا كقراء نعرف أن الغرفة التي اكتشفها ليست غرفة دفن كما يظن وإنما هي غرفة فندق عادية من القرن العشرين وأن كل محتوياتها ليست إلا محتويات عادية بلا أي بعد ديني.
كتاب طريف جداً وذكي، يصل بالسخرية إلى حدودها عندما يعرض الهدايا التي يقدمها متجر المتحف الذي افتتح ليضم مقتنيات المقبرة المزعومة.
July 19, 2015
The first anthropology text I was required to read as an undergraduate was a delightful and instructive satire by Horace Miner, "Body Ritual among the Nacirema," which originally appeared in The American Anthropologist, vol. 58 (1956), pp. 503-507, and which has been reproduced many times since. The point was to warn aspiring anthropologists against the dangers of interpreting other cultures based on inadequate information or lack cultural understanding. It was both instructive and humorous. When I was in my first year of graduate school, my adviser shared with me a cartoon with two panels. On the left was depicted a nondescript shard of pottery labeled "Archaeological Find." On the right was a drawing of a triumphal procession of chariots down a street lined with elaborate columns surmounted with intricate friezes in bas-relief while trumpets blared and crowds in elaborate costumes cheered. It was labeled "Archaeologist's Reconstruction." Motel of the Mysteries is an illustrated and humorous look at the excavation and (mis)interpretation of a twentieth-century North American motel, "TOOT 'N' C'MON," and its associated artifacts by a forty-first century archaeologist, bow-tie-wearing Howard Carson. And if you don't get the angle Macaulay is going for, just consider that the discovery happens in 4022, 2100 years after another famous discovery by an archaeologist working in Egypt with the financial backing of Lord Carnarvon. Carson's faithful assistant, Harriet, wears some of the recovered artifacts in a sly reference to Sophia Schliemann, who was fond of wearing ancient jewelry discovered at Hisarlik. The book also skewers museums and their gift shops and reenactments of ancient cultures. It is cleverly executed, even if it is a bit of a one-trick pony.
June 21, 2025
Beautiful artwork and a great concept that doesn't quite deliver as much as it promises. The interpretations of the motel from the past raises questions about the world that exists in the present. What do they use instead of toilets or plastic, for example? I would have found this to be a positive rather than a negative quality if not for the fact that the humans of the present appear to wear and behave just as the people of the past.
Still, it's a good fun book and, as I said, the artwork is really wonderful.
Still, it's a good fun book and, as I said, the artwork is really wonderful.
March 19, 2021
Like many, I was long familiar with Macaulay's more direct and informative works -- I had a copy of Castle as a child -- but the one that stuck with me was this one, after a brief brush with it in a bookstore: a meticulously-drawn account of amateur anthropologist in the 4020s bungling the interpretation of our current (long lost) civilization. A strange satiric treatment of the distance of interpretation and our assurances in what we know of other cultures, perhaps, as a mysterious picture book for unknown ages somewhere between children and adults, or for anyone, maybe.
July 24, 2024
One of the pride and joys of my collection of illustrated books. I had it signed by David Macaulay at the National Book Festival a couple of years ago. Briefly, this book is a spoof on archeology, with specific reference to Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of King Tut. In the distant future (41st century), a cheap hotel room is discovered, still intact, and the archaeologists, full of wonder, examine the "treasures" - such as the "sanitized for your protection" paper slip on the toilet slip. (The toilet seat itself, they posit, was worn as a ceremonial collar.)
Too droll for words. Read it and weep (with laughter). I don't know how Macaulay kept a steady hand as he did the fabulous drawings for this one -- he must have phenomenal self control.
(Reread in December 2021 after reading two books on archaeology in Egypt. Sentiments in original review still apply.)
Too droll for words. Read it and weep (with laughter). I don't know how Macaulay kept a steady hand as he did the fabulous drawings for this one -- he must have phenomenal self control.
(Reread in December 2021 after reading two books on archaeology in Egypt. Sentiments in original review still apply.)
February 8, 2020
Ένα περίεργο και άκρως ψυχαγωγικό μείγμα ανθρωπολογίας, αρχαιολογίας, επιστημονικής φαντασίας και κόμικ, το οποίο αν μη τι άλλο μου έφτιαξε το κέφι. Αντί για Αιγυπτιακούς τάφους, εδώ έχουμε ένα μοτέλ σε κάποια περιοχή των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών, η οποία το 4022 μ. Χ. είναι μια πολύ αρχαία χώρα, θαμμένη κάτω από πολλά στρώματα επιχώσεων. Οι αρχαιολόγοι του μέλλοντος ανακαλύπτουν ό,τι μπορεί να βρίσκεται σχετικά ανέπαφο μέσα σ'ένα δωμάτιο, παρερμηνεύοντας σε αστείο βαθμό αυτά που ανακαλύπτουν. Φανταστείτε, λοιπόν, να έχουμε παρερμηνεύσει και εμείς αυτά που έχουν βρεθεί σε διάφορες ανασκαφές ανά τον κόσμο (αμφιβάλλω, αλλά θα είχε πλάκα). Φυσικά, το πιο δυνατό στοιχείο του μικρού αυτού βιβλίου είναι η υπέροχη εικονογράφηση, όλα αυτά τα ασπρόμαυρα σκίτσα μεγάλου μεγέθους που προσφέρουν ένα απολαυστικό οφθαλμόλουτρο στους αναγνώστες.
October 30, 2024
Η πρώτη μου γνωριμία με το βιβλίο αυτό είχε γίνει πάνω από μια δεκαετία πριν, στο σπίτι μιας βιβλιοφάγου Ολλανδέζας φίλης μου. Παρότι τότε είχα απλώς ξεφυλλίσει παρά διαβάσει το αγγλικό πρωτότυπο, μου είχε φανεί τόσο ασυνήθιστο που μου άφησε μια ανεξίτηλη εντύπωση. Όταν λοιπόν το βρήκα σχεδόν τυχαία στο φιλόξενο βιβλιοπωλείο της "Άγνωστης Καντάθ" στη Θεσσαλονίκη κάτι σκίρτησε μέσα μου και το πήρα χωρίς δεύτερη κουβέντα.
Και μετά από αυτή την προσωπική νότα, δυο λόγια για το βιβλίο: στα 4022 ένας ερασιτέχνης αρχαιολόγος ανακαλύπτει τυχαία ένα μοτέλ που είχε θαφτεί για αιώνες στη γη μετά από μια μεγάλη καταστροφή που βρήκε τις «Ήπα» το 1985. Καθώς το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της γνώσης για την εποχή εκείνη (την εποχή μας) έχει χαθεί στο μέλλον, ο νέος Σλίμαν θεωρεί -εύλογα με βάση όλα τα ευρήματα- πως το ανέπαφο δωμάτιο του μοτέλ από όπου ξεκίνησε η ανασκαφή είναι ταφικός θάλαμος και όλο το μοτέλ νεκροταφείο. Οι παρεξηγήσεις της χρήσης και της σημασίας των αντικειμένων του δωματίου δημιουργούν ένα ξεκαρδιστικό αποτέλεσμα (πχ. το καρτελάκι "Μην Ενοχλείτε" πάνω στο πόμολο της πόρτας θεωρείται ένδειξη της ταφικής χρήσης του χώρου, η τηλεοπτική συσκευή βωμός, το καπάκι της τουαλέτας τελετουργικό στολίδι κοκ.), ενώ η σάτιρα αφορά τόσο τον σημερινό τρόπο ζωής, όσο και τον τρόπο θεώρηση των αρχαίων πολιτισμών με βάση τα σκόρπια και αποσπασματικά ευρήματα που έχουμε γι' αυτούς. Πανέξυπνο και πολύ αστείο! Ψάξτε το!
Και μετά από αυτή την προσωπική νότα, δυο λόγια για το βιβλίο: στα 4022 ένας ερασιτέχνης αρχαιολόγος ανακαλύπτει τυχαία ένα μοτέλ που είχε θαφτεί για αιώνες στη γη μετά από μια μεγάλη καταστροφή που βρήκε τις «Ήπα» το 1985. Καθώς το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της γνώσης για την εποχή εκείνη (την εποχή μας) έχει χαθεί στο μέλλον, ο νέος Σλίμαν θεωρεί -εύλογα με βάση όλα τα ευρήματα- πως το ανέπαφο δωμάτιο του μοτέλ από όπου ξεκίνησε η ανασκαφή είναι ταφικός θάλαμος και όλο το μοτέλ νεκροταφείο. Οι παρεξηγήσεις της χρήσης και της σημασίας των αντικειμένων του δωματίου δημιουργούν ένα ξεκαρδιστικό αποτέλεσμα (πχ. το καρτελάκι "Μην Ενοχλείτε" πάνω στο πόμολο της πόρτας θεωρείται ένδειξη της ταφικής χρήσης του χώρου, η τηλεοπτική συσκευή βωμός, το καπάκι της τουαλέτας τελετουργικό στολίδι κοκ.), ενώ η σάτιρα αφορά τόσο τον σημερινό τρόπο ζωής, όσο και τον τρόπο θεώρηση των αρχαίων πολιτισμών με βάση τα σκόρπια και αποσπασματικά ευρήματα που έχουμε γι' αυτούς. Πανέξυπνο και πολύ αστείο! Ψάξτε το!
December 12, 2013
If you give children books as gifts (as I do) I suggest that at some point you give them this. It probably wasn't intended for children when written and illustrated, but you would be hard-pressed to associate any particular age of child as its ideal audience. I found this in second grade on my homeroom teacher's bookshelf. My reading of it aroused that special kind of terror children will get when encountering something especially unique and weird and slightly out of grasp of their full understanding.
Basically it's an anthropologist trying to make sense of the remains of something like a Super 8 motel many years after our current civilization perished. It's very funny.
What stood out for me as a child were skeletons on beds watching television, held in place as if in a mummy's tomb and the interpretations of common bathroom paraphernalia as idols and ritual objects.
It could get a child thinking about the mortality of cultures and civilizations, elastic interpretations of the materials of past cultures, the hilarity of familiar objects without proper context, and so on.
Basically it's an anthropologist trying to make sense of the remains of something like a Super 8 motel many years after our current civilization perished. It's very funny.
What stood out for me as a child were skeletons on beds watching television, held in place as if in a mummy's tomb and the interpretations of common bathroom paraphernalia as idols and ritual objects.
It could get a child thinking about the mortality of cultures and civilizations, elastic interpretations of the materials of past cultures, the hilarity of familiar objects without proper context, and so on.
December 16, 2009
This book has one comedic idea - that future archaeologists, unaware of how our technology is used, will misinterpret their function and assume most items had a religious purpose. It's an absurdist anti-intellectual work that tries to be funny but failed for me. Mildly amusing in the first few pages but once you perceive the one idea it has it becomes predictable and tedious for the remainder.
February 18, 2014
If you've ever taken an archaeology class on Neolithic cultures (or Mesolithic, Paleolithic etc; you get the idea: no written history), you can kind of see where this book is going (a lot of the prehistory seems to be about "ritual activities"). The central point it seems to make is about interpretation and its reliability. Which sure is something archaeologists are generally aware of (or should be). The problem is just that you can't test your interpretations in experiments like in the hard sciences by generating new data. There is only comparison amongst the data you have been supplied with by the past and the selective excavations in the present. Add the fact that human societies are not as predictable as biological systems for example. Basically, interpretation is fucking hard. (Or easy, depending on your perspective.)
And it can go wrong badly which, in reality, is less visible in contemporary scholarship as it is in this book. Unless someone could invent a time machine...please? I should say though that interpretive mistakes can and do correct themselves once new (or old, depending on you perspective) data arises (surveys, excavations, analyses..). Which doesn't mean that we will ever get even close to "The truth".
P.S. There was one more specifically archaeological concept, besides archaeological interpretation, in this book that made me happy. The one alluding to crop and soil marks and the guy thinking it was aliens really hit home! (It was hilarious!) But unfortunately no trowel was depicted during the excavations which was too bad..
P.P.S. Despite the interpretation issues, some of those (most... pretty much all...) by the principal archaeologist in this book were pretty dumb.
So, what do we know about ancient civilizations? Well they were definitely here at one point.
And it can go wrong badly which, in reality, is less visible in contemporary scholarship as it is in this book. Unless someone could invent a time machine...please? I should say though that interpretive mistakes can and do correct themselves once new (or old, depending on you perspective) data arises (surveys, excavations, analyses..). Which doesn't mean that we will ever get even close to "The truth".
P.S. There was one more specifically archaeological concept, besides archaeological interpretation, in this book that made me happy. The one alluding to crop and soil marks and the guy thinking it was aliens really hit home! (It was hilarious!) But unfortunately no trowel was depicted during the excavations which was too bad..
P.P.S. Despite the interpretation issues, some of those (most... pretty much all...) by the principal archaeologist in this book were pretty dumb.
So, what do we know about ancient civilizations? Well they were definitely here at one point.
December 20, 2015
My fiancee bought this book for me as a Christmas Gift but upon receiving it found it so absurd that she gave it to me early. At first glance, I too was rather perplexed but upon more detailed perusal this book is subtly amusing.
Set centuries in the future, the author takes us through an archaeological dig exploring a common motel room. Our protagonist works diligently to identify all manner of artifacts from toilet seats to televisions and proceeds to get them all completely and utterly wrong. The outcome is a definite skewering not only of the archaeological sciences but also of society in general.
So while on its surface the book is absurd, if you look deeper it really has a keen message. You just have to keep plugging away and give the story a chance to grab your attention.
Set centuries in the future, the author takes us through an archaeological dig exploring a common motel room. Our protagonist works diligently to identify all manner of artifacts from toilet seats to televisions and proceeds to get them all completely and utterly wrong. The outcome is a definite skewering not only of the archaeological sciences but also of society in general.
So while on its surface the book is absurd, if you look deeper it really has a keen message. You just have to keep plugging away and give the story a chance to grab your attention.
May 19, 2020
A short, cynical take on American culture through the lens of failed archaeology. I remembered reading this in grammar school, but in retrospect I have no idea who it's written for. It's not a kid's book. it's not really an adult's book. It's perfect for me, a cynical and childish adult. :-)
January 1, 2021
Fabulous illustrations! Weird but interesting story about an archaeologist in the far future who discovers a motel that was covered up centuries ago. Regular objects (TV, toilet, etc.) are hilariously assumed to be ceremonial.
February 1, 2024
I laughed. I cried. I Toot ‘n’ C’mon’d.
November 3, 2023
It took me far too long to get to this classic Nacirema tale. I was finally pushed to read this after reading “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”, an article written decades ago by Horace M. Miner. Despite its age, it was still quite relevant to modern life (aside from a few references). So too is this book, which is best read in print (which is why I waited until I got my library copy). The illustrations are part of the experience, not to be taken separately from the accompanying text. Like a good museum book, this exposes the reader to a new lens of experiences and marvelous ancient objects. (My alternate reality self who stuck with anthropology was full of delight with this one, obviously.) However, in this case, the objects are immediately recognizable to any modern reader.
The fun in reading this one is not the recognition but the treatment of the objects from the future perspective that is looking towards its past. The gimmick does run its course though, and by the end, the conclusion of the story is a fitting end to what is setup for us in the beginning. As is with most things in this category, it reminds oneself to spend time critically gazing upon contemporary society—not taking it for granted—as well as the old adage: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (‘the more it changes, the more it’s the same thing’).
The fun in reading this one is not the recognition but the treatment of the objects from the future perspective that is looking towards its past. The gimmick does run its course though, and by the end, the conclusion of the story is a fitting end to what is setup for us in the beginning. As is with most things in this category, it reminds oneself to spend time critically gazing upon contemporary society—not taking it for granted—as well as the old adage: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (‘the more it changes, the more it’s the same thing’).
January 13, 2021
In the far future, archaeologists investigate an ancient North American "burial complex" (actually a seedy roadside motel) dating from 1985, when the continent was suddenly buried under tons of debris. The archaeologists have no idea what the items in the "tomb" mean, or what they were used for, but that doesn't stop them from making over-confident guesses.
A one-joke book, but it's a good joke and Macaulay knows not to drag it out for TOO many pages. The illustrations have a sort of nostalgic Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs feel. If you think the synopsis above sounds amusing, it's worth checking out. If not, don't bother.
A one-joke book, but it's a good joke and Macaulay knows not to drag it out for TOO many pages. The illustrations have a sort of nostalgic Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs feel. If you think the synopsis above sounds amusing, it's worth checking out. If not, don't bother.
July 2, 2009
I kept seeing this book mentioned everywhere for some reason, so I finally ILLed it. It’s a short, quick read, and concerns an amateur archaeologist from far in the future, who makes a major archaeological discovery in the ruins of the former nation called Usa and populated by “Yanks.”
Although it does seem to go a bit overboard, it’s still pretty cute and it definitely highlights a lot of concerns that archaeologists and other researchers have to consider when looking at artifacts from other cultures.
Although it does seem to go a bit overboard, it’s still pretty cute and it definitely highlights a lot of concerns that archaeologists and other researchers have to consider when looking at artifacts from other cultures.
June 9, 2017
This is a fun quick read. Interesting concept of how future archaeologists will interpret our modern life. It makes me wonder if theories about lost civilizations we've discovered are on the mark, or if we're totally misinterpreting them?
January 24, 2010
Pretty much a one-note joke, but fun.
December 5, 2016
The premise of this book was really funny.
December 26, 2025
The title "Motel of the Mysteries" is perfectly chosen because it refers to the central discovery in the book: an abandoned motel from the late 20th century that future archaeologists mistake for an elaborate burial temple. The word "motel" refers to a motor hotel, a cheap roadside lodging place where travelers could stay overnight. "Mysteries" refers to the profound confusion about what this building actually was and what all its ordinary objects mean. The genius of the title is that it works on two levels: for us (modern readers) we know it's a motel with obvious, everyday purposes; for the archaeologists in the book, it is genuinely mysterious because they lack the context to understand 20th-century American life. The book plays with this clash between what something actually is and how it might be completely misunderstood by people from a different time.
"Motel of the Mysteries" is a satirical illustrated book by David Macaulay that imagines a future archaeology. In the year 1985, North America is completely destroyed and buried under miles of debris from a catastrophic combination of junk mail and air pollution. One thousand years later (in the year 4022), a young amateur archaeologist named Howard Carson accidentally falls into an ancient buried motel. Mistaking the motel for a sacred burial temple with elaborate religious rituals, Carson and his team spend seven years carefully excavating and documenting what he believes are priceless archaeological treasures. The book presents his completely wrong interpretations of ordinary 20th-century American objects and practices as if they were religious artifacts and sacred burial customs. Through Macaulay's beautiful illustrations and deadpan [serious, expressionless] academic tone, the book gently mocks how archaeologists can misinterpret the past and how arrogant our assumptions about understanding ancient cultures can be.
STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK
🏩 Brilliant Satire: Macaulay's complete misinterpretation of ordinary objects as religious artifacts is hilarious and insightful. A toilet becomes a sacred urn, a shower curtain becomes a ceremonial barrier, toilet paper becomes sacred parchment. Each misinterpretation is logical from an archaeologist's perspective but absurd to us.
🏩 Exquisite Illustrations: Macaulay's detailed, professional drawings make the fake archaeological documentation feel completely authentic. The accuracy of his illustrations contrasts perfectly with the absurdity of the interpretations.
🏩 Multiple Layers of Satire: The book simultaneously mocks:
Archaeological overconfidence and tendency to see religious meaning in everything
How we create false narratives about the past
Commercial exploitation of history (the museum shop)
Our arrogance about understanding ancient cultures
Academic jargon and overly complex explanations
🏩 Clever Details: Every element contributes to the satire. The "Do Not Disturb" sign, the room numbers, the "Tootn Cmon" (toiletry brand) puns, the Michelin guides misinterpreted as ratings, the TV remote as a sacred communicator - all are brilliant.
🏩 Deadpan Humor: The serious, academic tone combined with completely wrong conclusions creates perfect comedy. The book never winks at the reader; it maintains the scholarly facade throughout.
🏩 Relevant Message: The book teaches that we should be humble about our interpretations of history and recognize that future generations might view our civilization as strangely as we view the ancient past.
🏩 Engaging for All Ages: While adults appreciate the satirical critique, children enjoy the mystery and puzzle of figuring out what things actually are.
"Motel of the Mysteries" is unique because it's a work of pure satire that never breaks character. It presents itself as a serious academic exploration while being completely absurd. The book is simultaneously a children's book, an adult satire, an archaeology parody, and a commentary on how we commercialize and misunderstand history.
It's also unusual in its format: part illustrated narrative, part fake museum catalog, part academic documentation. This hybrid approach makes it engaging and visually interesting in ways pure text couldn't achieve.
"Motel of the Mysteries" is a satirical illustrated book by David Macaulay that imagines a future archaeology. In the year 1985, North America is completely destroyed and buried under miles of debris from a catastrophic combination of junk mail and air pollution. One thousand years later (in the year 4022), a young amateur archaeologist named Howard Carson accidentally falls into an ancient buried motel. Mistaking the motel for a sacred burial temple with elaborate religious rituals, Carson and his team spend seven years carefully excavating and documenting what he believes are priceless archaeological treasures. The book presents his completely wrong interpretations of ordinary 20th-century American objects and practices as if they were religious artifacts and sacred burial customs. Through Macaulay's beautiful illustrations and deadpan [serious, expressionless] academic tone, the book gently mocks how archaeologists can misinterpret the past and how arrogant our assumptions about understanding ancient cultures can be.
STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK
🏩 Brilliant Satire: Macaulay's complete misinterpretation of ordinary objects as religious artifacts is hilarious and insightful. A toilet becomes a sacred urn, a shower curtain becomes a ceremonial barrier, toilet paper becomes sacred parchment. Each misinterpretation is logical from an archaeologist's perspective but absurd to us.
🏩 Exquisite Illustrations: Macaulay's detailed, professional drawings make the fake archaeological documentation feel completely authentic. The accuracy of his illustrations contrasts perfectly with the absurdity of the interpretations.
🏩 Multiple Layers of Satire: The book simultaneously mocks:
Archaeological overconfidence and tendency to see religious meaning in everything
How we create false narratives about the past
Commercial exploitation of history (the museum shop)
Our arrogance about understanding ancient cultures
Academic jargon and overly complex explanations
🏩 Clever Details: Every element contributes to the satire. The "Do Not Disturb" sign, the room numbers, the "Tootn Cmon" (toiletry brand) puns, the Michelin guides misinterpreted as ratings, the TV remote as a sacred communicator - all are brilliant.
🏩 Deadpan Humor: The serious, academic tone combined with completely wrong conclusions creates perfect comedy. The book never winks at the reader; it maintains the scholarly facade throughout.
🏩 Relevant Message: The book teaches that we should be humble about our interpretations of history and recognize that future generations might view our civilization as strangely as we view the ancient past.
🏩 Engaging for All Ages: While adults appreciate the satirical critique, children enjoy the mystery and puzzle of figuring out what things actually are.
"Motel of the Mysteries" is unique because it's a work of pure satire that never breaks character. It presents itself as a serious academic exploration while being completely absurd. The book is simultaneously a children's book, an adult satire, an archaeology parody, and a commentary on how we commercialize and misunderstand history.
It's also unusual in its format: part illustrated narrative, part fake museum catalog, part academic documentation. This hybrid approach makes it engaging and visually interesting in ways pure text couldn't achieve.
June 19, 2024
I read in a motel very accurate
December 18, 2023
Very interesting little book that will appeal to children and adults. Macaulay is perhaps best known for "The Way Things Work" and his architectural drawings. Here, he applies his imagination to science fiction.
Two millennia after North American civilization has been devastated, our ruins remain a puzzle to humanity. The St. Louis Arch barely peeks out from the ground, giving just enough room for people to crouch under the summit. The traces of interstate highway interchanges, when seen from the air, look like hieroglyphs intended for aircraft. What was the purpose of these technological wonders? Sometimes, the scholars of this future civilization interpret form and function almost right, but often they are way off the mark. After an amateur scientist accidentally falls into the remains of an old motel buried deep in the earth, he forms a celebrated archaeological team to research the structure, which is interpreted to be an ancient tomb. Toilets are believed to be ceremonial urns. Television remote controls were mystical items for the dead to continue to communicate with the living.
Every scene is illustrated wonderfully in his classic ink sketches, and is a comical yet fascinating deconstruction of academia, making us question what we really know about ancient history.
My main issue with the book is that it is more focused on being satirical and witty than anything else. Thus, a future civilization, which developed to appear almost exactly like ours, doesn't recognize a bathtub or a bed, or misinterprets the function of plumbing to be something musical. That's beyond silly. I think he had been watching too much Monty Python.
I do appreciate his point, however, and it is a fun browse. But I can see why this book largely goes unmentioned among his other work.
Two millennia after North American civilization has been devastated, our ruins remain a puzzle to humanity. The St. Louis Arch barely peeks out from the ground, giving just enough room for people to crouch under the summit. The traces of interstate highway interchanges, when seen from the air, look like hieroglyphs intended for aircraft. What was the purpose of these technological wonders? Sometimes, the scholars of this future civilization interpret form and function almost right, but often they are way off the mark. After an amateur scientist accidentally falls into the remains of an old motel buried deep in the earth, he forms a celebrated archaeological team to research the structure, which is interpreted to be an ancient tomb. Toilets are believed to be ceremonial urns. Television remote controls were mystical items for the dead to continue to communicate with the living.
Every scene is illustrated wonderfully in his classic ink sketches, and is a comical yet fascinating deconstruction of academia, making us question what we really know about ancient history.
My main issue with the book is that it is more focused on being satirical and witty than anything else. Thus, a future civilization, which developed to appear almost exactly like ours, doesn't recognize a bathtub or a bed, or misinterprets the function of plumbing to be something musical. That's beyond silly. I think he had been watching too much Monty Python.
I do appreciate his point, however, and it is a fun browse. But I can see why this book largely goes unmentioned among his other work.
August 14, 2021
When is a picture book NOT a children's book? When it's written by the amazing David Maccaulay. This book (I know because I got to hear him talk about this book) was inspired by the frenzy over the King Tut exhibit...and all the artifacts involved in the excavation of the tomb.
He started with, "What if we're wrong about these artifact?" and wrote this brilliant, clever, sly book.
One day in 1989, the US collapsed under the weight of particles in the air and junk mail, and ceased to be. There were stories, of course, but no one had seen anything...but the very top of the St. Louis Arch.
But thousands of years later, one man falls thru a hole in the ground, and finds himself in front of the door to room 26 in the Toot 'n Come In (say it out loud!) Motel...when he opens the door, he discovers the skeletons of two people, and begins to make (wildly incorrect but hilarious) assumptions about the purpose of the room, why one is lying on a bier (bed), and another has been ceremoniously positioned in a burial sarcophagus in the smaller chamber...with the Sacred Urn with the removable Ceremonial Headdress, next to the Sacred Parchment, with its mysterious point...and on and on.
The people who excavate the room, then the entire motel, make assumptions about our lives in 1989 that get sillier and sillier.
Macaulay is a master of the absurd...of pulling one string in a narrative and destroying everything with his brand of 'yes, but...it could be that...'
I tried the book in hs, and even there, kids had a hard time with the satire, and the background knowledge necessary to 'get' the jokes and pokes. Never mind. I LOVE it, and rereading it years later, I was even more taken by the cleverness of the set-up and the delivery. Flawless.
He started with, "What if we're wrong about these artifact?" and wrote this brilliant, clever, sly book.
One day in 1989, the US collapsed under the weight of particles in the air and junk mail, and ceased to be. There were stories, of course, but no one had seen anything...but the very top of the St. Louis Arch.
But thousands of years later, one man falls thru a hole in the ground, and finds himself in front of the door to room 26 in the Toot 'n Come In (say it out loud!) Motel...when he opens the door, he discovers the skeletons of two people, and begins to make (wildly incorrect but hilarious) assumptions about the purpose of the room, why one is lying on a bier (bed), and another has been ceremoniously positioned in a burial sarcophagus in the smaller chamber...with the Sacred Urn with the removable Ceremonial Headdress, next to the Sacred Parchment, with its mysterious point...and on and on.
The people who excavate the room, then the entire motel, make assumptions about our lives in 1989 that get sillier and sillier.
Macaulay is a master of the absurd...of pulling one string in a narrative and destroying everything with his brand of 'yes, but...it could be that...'
I tried the book in hs, and even there, kids had a hard time with the satire, and the background knowledge necessary to 'get' the jokes and pokes. Never mind. I LOVE it, and rereading it years later, I was even more taken by the cleverness of the set-up and the delivery. Flawless.
July 28, 2018
I'd enjoyed this book as a child and was recently reminded about it. What great timing for me, as I happened to pick it up and read it just after seeing the Tutankhamun's Treasures exhibit in LA. I had forgotten that it's a direct spoof on the Tut's tomb discovery and the mania that went along with it. I don't think I'd even noticed the first time around that they set up certain names and photos to mimic the Tut photos.
The drawings are high quality, and the commentary is a wonderful dry parody. The message hits you over the head repeatedly – that there are risks in interpreting cultural symbols of long-distant cultures – but it works. It's funny, it's a clever idea, and it offers plenty of in-jokes for you to laugh at long afterward (sacred point, anyone?). This is more of a picture book than anything else, and it's a quick read; don't expect in-depth coverage. But that, too, is a virtue: it says what it came to say and then stops before it gets dull.
I'm caught between a 3 star and 4 star rating, because although I really liked the book for what it was, it feels too lightweight and short to properly match up to other books I rate as 4 stars.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys intellectual humor, especially if you're a fan of archeology and the Howard Carter Tut discovery story.
The drawings are high quality, and the commentary is a wonderful dry parody. The message hits you over the head repeatedly – that there are risks in interpreting cultural symbols of long-distant cultures – but it works. It's funny, it's a clever idea, and it offers plenty of in-jokes for you to laugh at long afterward (sacred point, anyone?). This is more of a picture book than anything else, and it's a quick read; don't expect in-depth coverage. But that, too, is a virtue: it says what it came to say and then stops before it gets dull.
I'm caught between a 3 star and 4 star rating, because although I really liked the book for what it was, it feels too lightweight and short to properly match up to other books I rate as 4 stars.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys intellectual humor, especially if you're a fan of archeology and the Howard Carter Tut discovery story.
March 27, 2018
A very amusing imaginative, not particularly unlikely bit of the future. A cataclysmic event wipes us out, here, in North America - basically we bury ourselves in pollution. Humans unearth (unpollute?) some tawdry parts of life that were frozen in 1985, and then found in 4022.
Needless to say Macaulay's imagination, knowledge of science and architecture, and talent with a pen (manifest in delightful doublespeak, wit reminiscent of Jerome K. Jerome and illustration!) make our mislabeled archaeologist's mislabeling of everything found in the "Toot 'n' C'mon" (get it??) Motel, hilarious. Our dear digger is named Howard Carson, and like his - unknown to him - predecessor - our fictional discoverer also dies tragically soon after his amazing find.
The mismeasure of man; well, and Harriet, his assistant. Highly recommended.
Needless to say Macaulay's imagination, knowledge of science and architecture, and talent with a pen (manifest in delightful doublespeak, wit reminiscent of Jerome K. Jerome and illustration!) make our mislabeled archaeologist's mislabeling of everything found in the "Toot 'n' C'mon" (get it??) Motel, hilarious. Our dear digger is named Howard Carson, and like his - unknown to him - predecessor - our fictional discoverer also dies tragically soon after his amazing find.
The mismeasure of man; well, and Harriet, his assistant. Highly recommended.
December 26, 2022
Magnificent Execution of a One-Note Gag
Macaulay’s signature spectacularly well-drafted finely detailed illustrations are here placed in service to a one-note gag that never quite outwears its welcome, but is not nearly as witty as it might once have seemed.
As the book is a parody of the Tut Mania that gripped the US in the late 70s when a major King Tut exhibition made its way across the States, the specifics of the high concept have long since faded from our collective cultural memory, significantly blunting the humor and the impact of the concept. But it’s short and a quick read to boot, so it’s good for a smile, and possibly a chuckle or two. But not more than that.
Macaulay’s signature spectacularly well-drafted finely detailed illustrations are here placed in service to a one-note gag that never quite outwears its welcome, but is not nearly as witty as it might once have seemed.
As the book is a parody of the Tut Mania that gripped the US in the late 70s when a major King Tut exhibition made its way across the States, the specifics of the high concept have long since faded from our collective cultural memory, significantly blunting the humor and the impact of the concept. But it’s short and a quick read to boot, so it’s good for a smile, and possibly a chuckle or two. But not more than that.
January 13, 2025
This book will please all and everyone that has a wonderful sense of satirical humor.
Here Macaulay uses superb comic wit to tell the tale of two archeologists from the future that happen upon the long lost world of North America's 21st Century.
Macaulay's fun satire on the (now) everyday items we use and take for granted are considered religious, idolized artifacts discovered by these two adventurous historians. The result ends up being a gallery exhibition showing off the "treasures" of their labors.
The text is accompanied by Macaulay's wonderful trademark pen & ink illustrations. I really enjoyed this!
Here Macaulay uses superb comic wit to tell the tale of two archeologists from the future that happen upon the long lost world of North America's 21st Century.
Macaulay's fun satire on the (now) everyday items we use and take for granted are considered religious, idolized artifacts discovered by these two adventurous historians. The result ends up being a gallery exhibition showing off the "treasures" of their labors.
The text is accompanied by Macaulay's wonderful trademark pen & ink illustrations. I really enjoyed this!
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