Book: "The Lost Testament" by D. Rohl.

On a casual glance at the title of this book, you might imagine it describes papers or letters that the author thought ought to be in the Bible, but you would be wrong. It is the story of one man's attempt to reclaim the factual basis of the Old Testament of the Bible. For many years now, archaeologists have dismissed the Old Testament as being irrelevant to their subject, because its stories didn"t match up with the archaeology they saw.

David Rohl is an archaeologist who came to believe otherwise - indeed, although it"s not explicitly stated, he seems convinced that the history related in the OT did happen. Rohl starts the story with the history related in Genesis, and follows this through each of the books of the Bible, illustrating in a very readable way the physical evidence that has been found and as required the deductions he makes from this. The text finishes with a short section describing the events of 2 Kings, which is followed by a long Reference section. The book is illustrated with over 170 monochrome figures and photographs, including many satellite images that serve as maps. These are accompanied by tables that outline the history as it is understood. In some cases it is possible to contrast the history related in the Bible with that uncovered by archaeologists from other sources.

I found it a compelling read, albeit one that is quite dense and so best taken in small doses! Reading it in conjunction with a Bible is also illuminating of both texts. Rohl has been the editor of the Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum and a Co-Field Director of the Eastern Desert Survey in Egypt. In 1988 he was awarded a prestigious research  scholarship and has a degree in Ancient History and Egyptology. However, his theories  are not without criticism, one  example of which is here.

"The Lost Testament" by David Rohl, Hardback, published 2002 by Century / Random House. ISBN 0 7126 6993 0
Republished in 2003 as a paperback: "From Eden to Exile: The Epic History of the People of the Bible".