The Egyptian Book of the Dead

A unique collection of funerary texts from a wide variety of sources, dating from the 15th to the 4th century BC

Consisting of spells, prayers and incantations, each section contains the words of power to overcome obstacles in the afterlife. The papyruses were often left in sarcophagi for the dead to use as passports on their journey from burial, and were full of advice about the ferrymen, gods and kings they would meet on the way. Offering valuable insights into ancient Egypt, The Book of the Dead has also inspired fascination with the occult and the afterlife in recent years.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

E.A. Wallis Budge (1857-1934) was the Curator of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum from 1894 to 1924. Best known for his numerous translator works, Budge collected a large number of Coptic, Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopian, and Egyptian Papyri manuscripts. He was also involved in numerous archaeology digs in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Sudan. Budge is perhaps best known for translating The Egyptian Book of The Dead (also known as The Papyrus of Ani), as well as analyzing many of the practices of Egyptian religion, language and ritual. Budge was knighted in 1920.

John Romer graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1966 and began his work in Middle Eastern archaeology shortly thereafter, conducting the first physical survey and conservation studies in the Valley of the Kings, and excavating the tomb of Ramesses XI. Romer has also dedicated a great part of his time to archaeological conservation and has made many TV and radio documentaries, to international critical acclaim. Besides numerous specialist articles and reports, his books have included Valley of the Kings, Ancient Lives, and The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited.