The Egyptian Book of the Dead
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1894. With Ninety-Six Plates Reproduced in Fac-Simile from the Turin Papyrus and the Louvre Papyrus. First Edition. Square folio, 186 pages followed by LXXIX full page plates, some of which are fold outs. Publisher's original gilt-lettered green cloth covered boards. The Egyptian Book of the Dead, translated and published in 1894 by Charles H. S. Davis, is an early English rendering of one of the most important sacred texts of ancient Egypt. Comprising a collection of funerary spells, prayers, and ritual instructions, the work was intended to guide the soul through the perils of the afterlife, culminating in the famous Judgment of the Dead before Osiris. Davis’s translation helped introduce English-speaking readers to Egyptian religious thought at a time when Egyptology was rapidly developing as a scholarly field, blending mythology, theology, and archaeology. Long regarded as a cornerstone of ancient religious literature, the Book of the Dead offers invaluable insight into Egyptian concepts of morality, immortality, and the cosmic order, making this 1894 first edition an important and collectible example of early modern engagement with ancient sacred texts. Front hinge cracked through, rear hinge cracked, ex-library with some of the typical markings, previous owner's bookplates, rubbing and wear, corners bumped, slight discoloration, else in good condition. Item #200
Price: $825.00