The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Penguin Classics)

The Book of the Dead is a unique collection of funerary texts from a wide variety of sources, dating from the 15th to the 4th centuries 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.

EA Wallis Budge 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 analysing many of the practices of Egyptian religion, language and ritual. Budge was knighted in 1920. He died 1934.

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. Besides numerous specialist articles and reports, his books have included Valley of the Kings. His latest book is The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited.