The Egyptian Book of the Dead [Paperback]

E. A. Wallis Budge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2005

Egyptian hieroglyphics and images ensured the well-being of the dead in the world beyond. Every breathtaking picture reproduced here--in a remarkable-looking volume bound in real papyrus--comes from Thebes, and represents one version of the great national funeral work copied by scribes from about 900 b.c. to 600 b.c. The early history of the Book of the Dead remains shrouded in the mists of remote antiquity, but its origin was considered divine--often attributed to the god Osiris. These evocative and glowing paintings show the sun god Ra on the Night Boat, towed on the waters under the earth; a delicate blue-and-white image, originally drawn on plaster, of Nebamun hunting in the marshes; and, from the tomb of the pharaoh Ramses VI, a grand ceiling mural decorated with astronomical scenes.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Many examples of Egyptian funerary scrolls exist. The version used in this edition is that of the famous and well-preserved Papyrus of Ani, written around 1500 B.C. Ani was the Royal Scribe of Thebes, Overseer of the Granaries of the Lords of Abydos, and Scribe of the Offerings of the Lords of Thebes. As such, he was honored with a fine example of a funerary papyrus.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (December 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425357334
• ISBN-13: 978-1425357337
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on A Grand Antique, September 17, 2003

By 

Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum (Paperback)

I hate to say a hard word about a volume so many (including myself) have found so intriguing. The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" - a collection of spells, prayers, hymns, and instructions for success in the afterlife - is a famous, and widely misunderstood document, well worth a first-hand examination. However, potential purchasers should be aware that this is a reproduction of a Victorian edition and translation, and that Budge, the editor and translator, was industrious, sincere, talented, and from time to time brilliant, but already a bit out of date in his approach to ancient Egyptian, even when the book appeared in 1895. This Dover reprint is a monument to obsolete scholarship.

The volume was intended as a companion to, or substitute for, an extremely beautiful facsimile edition of a papyrus copy, which Budge had obtained in Egypt, published in color by the British Museum. The passage of decades has only compounded the problems. Budge's transliteration is obsolete, and his polished translations run roughshod over Egyptian grammar (the interlinear versions being erroneous only over the meanings of specific words). His history of scholarship covers the early decades of Egyptology in more detail than most will find necessary, but of course misses that latter nineteenth century (as well as everything since).

Still, before the appearance of a recent, computer-assisted, facsimile edition, based on the British Museum facsimile, with modern translations (The University of Texas Press, as "The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead"), this was as close as most people would get to one of the major manuscripts of the New Kingdom's "guide to the next world". My first copy is filled with several decades of corrections and annotations, and I bought a second just to enjoy the beautiful hieroglyphic font in which the text is presented. I am not telling anyone not to buy it; just don't take it as the last word on anything.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars After 100+ years -- still the most complete, September 4, 2001

By 

Brian D. Baird "abaddonVSM" (Manama, Bahrain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum (Paperback)

There a few modern Egyptologists (and a few outright hacks) that are quick to point out Budge's many errors in translation without looking at the publication date on the book. Budge more than makes up for this, however, by including his transliterations along with the original hieroglyphic text -- so that any wannabe Egyptologist can try his hand at doing better. It is the complete Papyrus of Ani, which is the most complete text yet found. It would have rated 5 stars save for two things: Budge's organization of the book, which is difficult to understand at first without considerable effort, and the fact that it does not include ALL of the chapters. The latter could have been solved by supplementing the book with parts of the Pyramid or Coffin Texts, which Budge discusses extensively in his introduction. Nonetheless, this is the first book the serious scholar should pick up on the subject, especially if he is a student of ancient Egyptian language.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference., May 15, 2000

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum (Paperback)

A good reference for the non-Egyptian reader who wants firsthand knowledge about life on the Nile. Budge's translation and use of the original text allow the Egyptologist to compare their own reading as well. Use of such a reference book will increase the reader's understanding of the rather complicated and in many ways foreign ideas in ancient Egyptian religion and rituals.