For the first time since 1890, the ancient Papyrus of Ani, the best surviving example of the texts that have come to be known collectively as The Egyptian Book of the Dead, is now available in full color. In this deluxe edition, these timeless and exquisite images are presented with an English translation together on the same pages for the first time in the history of their publication. This papyrus represents the most complete and ornate example of ancient Egyptian philosophical, religious, and spiritual thought yet discovered and is an artistic rendition of the mysteries of life and death.

The Papyrus of Ani was discovered in Egypt and acquired in 1888 by Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge, keeper of Egpytian Antiquities at the British Museum. The scroll was hastily cut into even lengths and pasted onto wooden boards for shipment back to England before any translation was undertaken. Some five years later, when a translation was completed, it revealed that the "yardstick" cutting of the papyrus had destroyed the sequence and relationship between the text and images.

Using recently perfected computer-imaging technology and careful analysis of its contents, the papyrus is restored here to its original state and recast into book form using several gatefold spreads to present the ornately bordered images as they first appeared and to retain the scroll's original sense of meaning and motion.

The Egpytian Book of the Dead is composed of some 200 "chapters" of some of the earliest spiritual writings of humanity, of which the Papyrus of Ani is one. A collection of spells, charms, hymns, praers, and invocations, these papyri were entombed with the deceased and designed to guide the soul to the afterlife. These texts were known to the ancient Egyptians as The Book of Going Forth by Day.

This volume also includes the late Dr. Raymond O. Faulkner's translation of the Book of the Dead including those chapters not found in the Papyrus of Ani, and presents Dr. Ogden Goelet's translation of the significant Chapter 64: "The Chapter of Knowing All the Chapters of Going Forth by Day." The translation by Dr. Faulkner included in this edition, acknowledged by scholars as the finest English translation of the twentieth century, is augmented and updated by Dr. Ogden Goelet, who also provides a plate-by-plate commentary, as well as a penetrating interpretation of the Book of the Dead itself.

For the first time in almost 3,500 years, The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani is showcased in its entirety with 74 sumptuous color pages of images and text that reflect the most current advances in Egyptology and philology, as well as computer technology. With this edition, the entire corpus of this seminal work is given its most accessible and lavish presentation to date.

This volume integrates text translation and full color photographs of the Papyrus of Ani (commonly referred to as the Egyptian Book of the Dead), an almost 3,500 year old scroll of ancient Egyptian spiritual and philosophic teachings. Since its discovery in 1888, the papyrus fragments have been studied intently by a limited number of researchers, whose finding have remained, for the most part, private. This volume marks a significant shift, allowing public consideration of a most ancient text.
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"The Book of the Dead is a collection of writings that were placed in tombs as a means of guiding the ancient Egyptian soul on its journey to the afterlife. The Papyrus of Ani, which is reproduced here, is one of the most important and beautiful of the surviving papyri. Damage in the 19th century seriously confused its sequencing and the relationship between text and illustrations. Here for the first time the scroll is presented in its proper sequence and in its entirety. The English text is placed immediately underneath the corresponding hieroglyphs, and the reproductions are faithful to the originals in all their glowing color. A critical purchase for any serious collection of materials on ancient Egypt." Library Journal

"This magnificent book is the first complete presentation of the Papyrus of Ani, featuring graphics that reveal beautifully the texture of the original papyrus, coupled with the translated text....Commentaries and other notes make this work even more accessible. A spectacularly beautiful work of devotion." NAPRA Trade Journal

This volume integrates text translation and full color photographs of the Papyrus of Ani (commonly referred to as the Egyptian Book of the Dead), an almost 3,500 year old scroll of ancient Egyptian spiritual and philosophic teachings. Since its discovery in 1888, the papyrus fragments have been stud

For thousands of years, the philosophy of the ancient Egyptians has fascinated spiritual seekers throughout the world. Now, with this deluxe edition, the legendary 3,500-year-old Papyrus of Ani--the most beautiful of the ornately illustrated Egyptian funerary scrolls--has been restored to its original sequences of text and artwork.

For millennia, the culture and philosophy of the ancient Egyptians have fascinated artists, historians, and spiritual seekers throughout the world. Now, with this deluxe edition, the legendary 3,500-year-old Papyrus of Ani the most beautiful of the ornately illustrated Egyptian funerary scrolls ever discovered has been restored in its original sequences of text and artwork, using the latest advances in computer-imaging technology. Four exquisitely illustrated gatefold spreads and an acclaimed translation by two noted Egyptologists showcase the Papyrus's elaborately bordered images and convey its intended sense of motion and meaning in a way that other books on the subject cannot begin to match. For both lay readers and scholars interested in a wide range of topics from mysticism and philosophy to anthropology and astronomy this sumptuous and accessible new volume will be an essential acquisition.

Renowned British Egyptologist Dr. Raymond Faulkner (1894-1982) was a major contributor to the field of Egyptian philology.