<P> The book sold well, but received negative reviews from critics . Jonathan Kirsch of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "It's part travelogue, part true - adventure, part mystery - thriller . But mostly it's a whacking big dose of amateur scholarship alloyed with a fervid imagination and the kind of narrative that comes in handy when telling ghost stories around a campfire ." Desmond Ryan of the Philadelphia Inquirer joked, "If (Hancock) did any more speculating than what is strewn through the many pages of The Sign and the Seal, he would have to go into real estate ." Archaeologist John Holladay of the University of Toronto called it "garbage and hogwash," while Edward Ullendorff, a former Professor of Ethiopian Studies at the University of London, said he "wasted a lot of time reading it ." Richard Furlong described the book as "a thoroughly engaging read, written in an easy - to - follow, breathless style by someone who is absorbed by his task . Highly recommended for conspiracy fans; unsuitable for historians and archaeologists ." </P> <Ul> <Li> Hancock, Graham (1992). The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant . New York: Crown . ISBN 0 - 517 - 57813 - 1 . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Hancock, Graham (1992). The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant . New York: Crown . ISBN 0 - 517 - 57813 - 1 . </Li>

The sign and the seal the quest for the lost ark of the covenant