Objects in Focus Box Set

Objects in Focus is an innovative series of short, accessible books which serve as general introductions by telling the story of one key object. Each title explores evocative stories about where the objects came from, the hands they passed through before reaching the Museum, and their artistic and historical significance. Elegantly and spaciously designed, and including historical images placing the objects in all their contexts, this box set is great value and is a superb gift or souvenir.

Titles included:

• The Rosetta Stone contains a decree written three times in Greek, Demotic and hieroglyphic that provided the key to deciphering the mysterious hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt, and opened up 3,000 years of that country’s history and culture.
• The Gayer-Anderson Cat has been one of the most admired objects at the British Museum since its arrival in 1947. This book presents a detailed description of the cat and a discussion of its possible meaning and role in ancient times.
• The Sutton Hoo Helmet has been a highly evocative symbol of Anglo-Saxon England since its discovery in 1939.
• The Lewis Chessmen were probably made in Norway around AD 1150– 1200. These enchanting chess pieces consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales’ teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns. A hugely popular attraction at the Museum, especially since they featured in the Harry Potter films.
• Hoa Hakananai‘a, or ‘stolen/hidden friend’, is one of the instantly recognizable statues from Easter Island.