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LIBRARY JOURNAL
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.
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ROBERT S. BIANCHI, ARCHAEOLOGY
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a remarkable volume. It is based on the Papyrus of Ani, which, with the exception of the Rosetta Stone, is the most famous Egyptian object in the collections of the British Museum. Its fame is due in no small part to the quality of the illustrated vignettes that rank among the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian painting. . . I, for one, would hope that readers will henceforth refrain from relying on Budge\'s outdated editions and turn to this volume instead. The price, under $25 dollars paperback; the quality of the large-format plates, several of which include foldouts; the authoritative translation based on that of R.O. Faulkner, which is considered in the opinion of many experts to be one of the best translations, and commentary by Ogden Goelet make this book a must for all libraries.
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Papyrus of Ani — The Book of Going Forth by Day, created around 1250 B.C.E., is the best surviving example of some 200 texts comprising the funerary scrolls that accompanied deceased Egyptians into the afterlife. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day presents the complete papyrus, photographed from an 1890 facsimile edition, with an English translation by the late Raymond O. Faulkner.
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NAPRA TRADE 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. The original papyrus, on its discovery, was cut into sections for transport. The careless cutting of uneducated workers left the manuscript almost indecipherable, and to date only sections of it have been made available to the public. Computer imaging allowed the papyrus to be pieced into its original state, and a faithful translation was then possible. This document is precious not only for its historic significance, but also for its glimpse into the ancient Egyptian religion and its teachings about the passage from life to death. Commentaries and other notes make this work even more accessible. A spectacularly beautiful work of devotion.
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TIMOTHY REID BLOGSPOT
This large Chronicle book is the complete papyrus of Ani in the collection of the British museum with a preface by Carol A. R. Andrews and an introduction by Dr. Ogden Goelet. The translations of the papyrus is by Dr. Raymond Faulkner and while it is true the book is large it is also thankfully a carryable book complete including all 37 pages Sir Wallace Budge cut the original papyrus into dismembering the text in a desire for aesthetics.
I have long seen the beauty in the well known images but to have the complete document is more than about pretty pictures. Ani's book of the dead's wonderful images are not accompanied by equally impressive texts , the painter is finer than the scribe. The books foreword and introduction were very useful in putting the papyrus into context.
Ani's Book of the dead opens with an introductory Hymn to the sun god Re including an image of Ani and his wife in adoration in front of a table of offerings. This is followed with a similar vignette of Ani and his wife only this time the hymn is to Osiris.
The papyrus of Ani ends and is followed by a four page map key to the papyrus. In the next section we are on to the the chapters in the Theban recension not found in the papyrus. This section is definitely not for the average reader as informative as it is it also at times difficult to read as the spells become more and more abstract.
In the final section we are on to a commentary by Dr. Ogden Goelet of New York University who lays down the developments in religious texts leading up to the creation of the book of the dead as well as it's development up to the Roman period.
The concepts of gods and magic are dealt with excellent clarity with their being strong division between what in our modern world is termed religion dealing with the minds view of monotheism and what we perceive to be ancient Egypt's polytheistic values. In the final commentary by Dr. Goelet he explains the vignettes in Ani's Book of the Dead beautifully.
I began reading Ani's book of the dead in the middle of May and found something deep and so here I am relieved 7 months later to have read this incredible document certainly this book is an enhancement to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
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BARBARA GRAVER THE NEW AGE REVIEW
The title The Book of the Dead refers to several distinct but similar ancient texts which were traditionally included in the tombs of wealthy Egyptians. These texts are not so much about death however as they are the afterlife and were originally, and more poetically, called "The Book of Going Forth by Day."
One of the best examples of these amazing texts, the Papyrus of Ani, chronicles the journey of the deceased Ani, a royal scribe of Thebes, through the underworld and into the world beyond in a series of painted vignettes accompanied by hieroglyphic text. It may be viewed in a wonderful fully illustrated edition produced by James Wasserman with translation by the noted scholar Dr. Raymond Faulkner and additional translation by Dr. Ogden Goelet, Jr. The book is in itself a story, having been the realization of a life long dream on the part of Wasserman who first became acquainted with The Papyrus of Ani when working at Samuel Weiser’s bookstore in New York City in the early 1970s.
At that time The Papyrus of Ani could be read in translation in one book while viewing the reproduction of the actual scroll in a second book (the British Museum’s 1890 facsimile edition). Fascinated by the images of the scroll, Wasserman purchased the facsimile from Donald Weiser in 1979. “Soon after,” he tells us in the forward to his edition of The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Wasserman’s book is indeed a work of art, reproducing the 3300 year old, 78 foot long scroll in full with complete translation directly beneath the images it describes. This beautiful edition allows us to not only read the incredible story but to view and understand the artwork in the context in which it was created. A display volume worth displaying, this edition is perfect for anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt, ancient religion, mythology or any sort of art.