The Book of the Dead

"The Book of the Dead" is one of the most famous texts to survive from the ancient world. Its original name in Egyptian is literally translated as the "Book of Coming Forth by Day" or the "Book of Emerging Forth into the Light" and was in use for over two thousand years by ancient Egyptians. It was a loose collection of spells and prayers used to assist a person in their journey after death through the underworld and into the afterlife. Copies were often placed in burial chambers or coffins and selected spells were sometimes written on objects or walls. The existence of this ancient book of spells has been known by Europeans since the Middle Ages, but the most complete version was not discovered until 1888 by E. A. Wallis Budge, the noted English Egyptologist who acquired objects for the British Museum. This version of the ancient text, known as the Papyrus of Ani, is dated to 1500 B. C. and was written by Ani, the Royal Scribe of Thebes. Presented here is Budge's translation, first published in 1895, which brought this timeless and fascinating ancient text to the greater attention of the English-speaking world. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.