- Paperback: 48 pages
- Publisher: Standard Publications, Inc (18 April 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1605974897
- ISBN-13: 978-1605974897
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 18.6 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 750,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Book of the Dead
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Product Description
Product Description
E. A. Wallis translated and transcribed this work. The Book of the Dead is the name given the ancient Egyptian funeral text 'The Book of Coming '[or 'Going']' Forth By Day'. The book details the Egyptian view of the afterlife. Included are spells, hymns and instructions for the dead to pass through obstacles in the afterlife. This papyrus scroll was placed in the coffin of the deceased. The Book of the Dead was first thought to be a Bible but is it not a religious work. It is more of an instruction manual for the recently departed.
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First Sentence
The Recensions of the great body of religious compositions, which were drawn up for the use of dead kings, nobles, priests, and others, and which form the Book of the Dead of the Ancient Egyptians may be thus summarized :-I. The Heliopolitan Recension, i.e., that which was edited by the priests of the College of Anu (the On of the Bible, and the Heliopolis of the Greeks), and which was based upon a series of texts now lost. Read the first page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
The Recensions of the great body of religious compositions, which were drawn up for the use of dead kings, nobles, priests, and others, and which form the Book of the Dead of the Ancient Egyptians may be thus summarized :-I. The Heliopolitan Recension, i.e., that which was edited by the priests of the College of Anu (the On of the Bible, and the Heliopolis of the Greeks), and which was based upon a series of texts now lost. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
76 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book, originally written in the early 20th century by Budge, is an excellent guide to the Book of the Dead, whether a novice or a professional Egyptologist.
The first few pages of the book have an assortment of images regarding the Book of the Dead, such as images of funeral processions, the judgement of the soul and the reuniting of body and soul. Included are some short descriptions of what the images mean.
The introductory pages not only detail the history of the book itself, but also tell of the discovery of the Papyrus of Ani, how it was first treated, how it varies from tomb to tomb, whose tombs it has been discovered in, how it was written, what it was to the Ancient Egyptians and where in time it may have originated. It does so through complex, descriptive wording as well as footers going into greater depth about key topics. It also contains a list of chapters, their titles and short descriptions.
The translation itself is excellent, with hieroglyphs above the English text. Each passage is numbered so the reader can tell where it comes from in the hieroglyphics, which also makes it a good resource for anyone interested in learning to read hieroglyphs. Alongside the direct translation comes some narration explaining potential meanings and interpretations.
Given the date the book was originally published, one could also argue that it gives an insight into the mind of a 1900s historian.
All in all, an excellent book. It has everything relevant to the subject with which it deals, and is in my opinion the best version you could buy. It is let down only because it is not in colour; just a few colour pages to show the gorgeous colours used in Egyptian art and writing would have made it perfect, but it gains five stars anyway for the hieroglyphic text accompanying the English text throughout the translation.
The first few pages of the book have an assortment of images regarding the Book of the Dead, such as images of funeral processions, the judgement of the soul and the reuniting of body and soul. Included are some short descriptions of what the images mean.
The introductory pages not only detail the history of the book itself, but also tell of the discovery of the Papyrus of Ani, how it was first treated, how it varies from tomb to tomb, whose tombs it has been discovered in, how it was written, what it was to the Ancient Egyptians and where in time it may have originated. It does so through complex, descriptive wording as well as footers going into greater depth about key topics. It also contains a list of chapters, their titles and short descriptions.
The translation itself is excellent, with hieroglyphs above the English text. Each passage is numbered so the reader can tell where it comes from in the hieroglyphics, which also makes it a good resource for anyone interested in learning to read hieroglyphs. Alongside the direct translation comes some narration explaining potential meanings and interpretations.
Given the date the book was originally published, one could also argue that it gives an insight into the mind of a 1900s historian.
All in all, an excellent book. It has everything relevant to the subject with which it deals, and is in my opinion the best version you could buy. It is let down only because it is not in colour; just a few colour pages to show the gorgeous colours used in Egyptian art and writing would have made it perfect, but it gains five stars anyway for the hieroglyphic text accompanying the English text throughout the translation.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is mostly a commentary on the Book of the Dead with quotes from the most significant passages of the papyrus e.g The Negative Confession.It is a handy size for reading on the train. My copy from Dodo press has no pictures of the Ani papyrus. For a fully illustrated library copy I would recommend Chronicle books ISBN 978-0-8118-6489-3. However I like the type-setting in this book which has an olde feel to it as if just off Budges typewriter. I had read it all on Web sites so mainly bought this as a souvenir of my realisation that the Old Testament view of its neighbouring cultures was wrong.(Egyptians, Canaanites, Babylonians were more the same than different). When I read the negative confession I was struck by how the Egyptian morality was just as good as later Hebrew laws. I was amazed by the many other similarities in how the Egyptians viewed and addressed their gods to how the Bible folk viewed theirs. The Egyptians believed their gods were the source of wisdom, knowledge and Truth who required them to live good lives and treat others well. The language of praising the gods was all so familiar, also the ideas of resurrection, eternal life/ hell, a god of judgment to decide who went where, a cleansing from sin by the negative confession. Is this the earliest record of these concepts? Did the Egyptians dream up these ideas? The Old Testament seems to have hardly any idea of the afterlife, only a shadowy sheol. Chapter iv is "Thoth, the author of the Book of the Dead"; Thoth was the heart, mind and tongue of the creator god, he at all times voiced the will of the great god and spoke the words which commanded everything to come into existence.[I can't help thinking he must have spoken with a lisp- I thoth tho, maybe that is why this world is a bit squint?] This is a little book of 30 pages but contains the discovery of great significance: that many concepts of the Egyptians of 3500 years ago were similar to what is widely held today. Interesting to compare their concept of heart&soul&spirit&mind against some modern psychologists ideas that humans are generated solely from the mind albeit influenced by biological factors like hormones.
39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have always found 'the Book of the Dead' intriguing and this version is a good introduction. It is a fairly complex book which requires a second read to properly understand it's content. The first few chapters, particularly the 'Legend of Osiris,' make an interesting read.
The book is probably more for reference than anything else and is good for students wishing to study Egyptology.
Claire Large.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointed
I ordered an expensive spiral bound copy of this volume but received a cheaper paperback copy which was returned, immediately, without reading and so I am unable to review this... Read more
Published 14 months ago by kathy
book of the dead
I have needed this book for a while so I was happy to have it but the paper is very brown in colour and smells a little foisty, although it is in good shape it has put me off... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. Gj Brett
The Book of the Dead
Whilst it is appreciated that this book was originally published in 1890. This copy is a 1960 edition and as such the quality of the paper(cartridge type) and the fact that all... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Darler
a struggle
(Kindle Format Review)
Never going to be in the top 100 "must read" list I guess, but an interesting topic and not as challenging or "high brow" as folk might imagine. Read more
Never going to be in the top 100 "must read" list I guess, but an interesting topic and not as challenging or "high brow" as folk might imagine. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Combat Wombat
A classic
I was a little disappointed by some comments passed regarding this publication by previous reviewers, and just wanted to make a few points. Read more
Published 20 months ago by JustLetMeReadThisChapter
A bit boring
Lack of colour makes this book a bit boring to read. This is due to the fact that i bought " Going Forth" to compare against.664 pages excluding the index. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2009 by D. S. Piper
A Pretty Book, but don't be fooled
I have to admit, as a student of Egyptology i purchased this gorgeous looking book in my first year thinking it to be a safe purchase and good addition to my collection. Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2006 by R. Humphreys
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