The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China  and the Mysteries of the Earliest Peoples in the West by J. P. Mallory & Victor Mair is the latest book about the Tarim mummies. The book will necessarily be compared to Barber's The Mummies of Ürümchi, which described the Cherchen mummies (a sub-category of the Tarim mummies) in masterful detail.

Mallory and Mair's book is a different book altogether. It will disappoint those who want a beautifully-written, compelling story of the Tarim mummies (à la Barber). It will not disappoint anyone, however, who wants to know more about the 500+ mostly-Caucasian mummies found in this part of the world and expects the photos to go along with it. Make no mistake: their book is well-written, but it is written in the scholarly "we" in most chapters, which serves to distance the reader a bit. The best chapters are the ones that are most personal: an introduction and two chapters on the mummies themselves.

These two exciting chapters include well-detailed descriptions (often with drawing and photos) of specific mummies that have been found and not always well-publicized. These include the Beauty of Loulan (called Korarän here), the Scream Baby (with its poignant and disturbing story) and a number of mummies found in Subeshi (part of the Turpan group). These latter mummies include three "witches" (so named because of their tall thin hats--quite unusual and well-displayed in the book). The most recent discovery, as of the book's publication, was the Yingpän mummy which featured a face mask, possibly made from layers of hemp.

A well-designed Thames-and-Hudson book, The Tarim Mummies presents a thorough background on the migration of people and languages into the Tarim basin area. Like Barber's, it also includes a chapter on textiles. But the main source of interest will be Chapters 5 (The Mummies Themselves) and 10 (Who Were the Mummies?).

With 190 excellent illustrations, including 13 color photos.