On the Verge of Lunacy

The book is divided into 15 chapters discussing the literature of ancient Egypt, or at least those still extant. The bulk of the material here are writings related to the afterlife and the legends of the gods. The first part introduces the forms of writing (hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic). Most of the texts are taken from inscriptions in and the scrolls from the tombs. The Pyramid texts, which has spells to ensure the deceased lives in the Tuat, are discussed. The other chapters include the following: stories of magicians, the book of the dead (the objective of which is to help the deceased reach Sekhet Aaru and Sekhet Hetep), books of the dead in Graeco-Roman period (substitutes for book of the dead), historical literature, autobiographical literature, tales of travel and adventure, fairy tales, hymns to the gods, moral and philosophical literature, poetical compositions, and miscellaneous (mostly about the other world, spells and magic, etc.). Two important chapters a...

This book discusses briefly the contents of the "doors" or chapters of the Book of the Dead. The descriptions of the 190 chapters are just overviews however . Readers who want to read them will find this book helpful only as an introduction. Before the summaries of the contents are given, Budge introduces the reader to the Egyptian belief in the afterlife and judgment. There is a chapter describing what goes on when the deceased is given judgment by Osiris (the weighing of the ab or heart and interview with the gods) as well as a chapter about Thoth and his many functions. Budge's writing is very easy to understand and the chapter on the Judgement of Osiris is the most interesting. I recommend this book  to those who are interested in mythology in general  and as an introduction to the Book of the Dead.

Two versions of the Deluge Legend is given in this book. One is taken from Berosus' account in which the name of the survivor is Xisuthrus. The other version is related to Gilgamesh by Utnapishtim and was included in the tablets of Epic of Gilgamish. The circumstances do not differ much but the details vary. The Utnapishtim version, for example, gives the number of days it took for the water to recede. The introduction given by Budge is sufficient for casual readers and students alike. He gives an account of the discovery of the tablets; description of the palaces of Nineveh and the library; physical description of the tablets; and a brief introduction of Ashur-bani-pal, to whom the famed library was credited. Budge's writing is easy to understand. The Gilgamish epic is also retold here in the last part of the book. He does not give a transliteration of the tablets but divides the story by tablet and informs the reader which parts of the narrative are undecipherable...

Full title: The Babylonian Legends of the Creation and the Fight Between Bel and the Dragon Told by Assyrian Tablets from Nineveh This book is a translation of the Seven Tablets found in the library of Ashur-bani-pal at Nineveh and additionally has an analysis by E.A. Wallis Budge. He provides an account of the contents of each tablet and cites possible interpretations of the symbols used. The author also provides the different versions of the legend as told by Berosus and Damascus beforehand. For those who have had readings in mythology as well as those who are still new to this genre, the book is reader-friendly. However, I do not recommend this to those who are looking for an improved narration (where author fills in missing details because the seven tablets have missing inscriptions). The translation provided is a verbatim interpretation of the legend. Nevertheless, readers who are already familiar with the story will have no trouble grasping the content and this can be t...