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.