The Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani is the Book of the Dead for Ani, the scribe from Thebes, and is "the largest, the most perfect, the best preserved, and the best illuminated of all the papyri," according to editor and translator E.A. Wallis Budge. "Books of the Dead" were ancient Egyptian funeral texts, employed from around 1550 B.C. to 50 B.C., intended to help the dead pass through the underworld into the afterlife with magic spells and inscriptions which were written on papyrus scrolls and placed in the coffin. The Papyrus of Ani is a key scroll in understanding Egyptian Books of the Dead, and this text is ideal for those interested in the early discovery and translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics. This is the original 1895 edition and includes the full version of The Papyrus of Ani. SIR ERNEST ALFRED THOMPSON WALLIS BUDGE (1857-1934) was born in Bodmin, Cornwall in the UK and discovered an interest in languages at a very early age. Budge spent all his free time learning and discovering Semitic languages, including Assyrian, Syriac, and Hebrew. Eventually, through a close contact, he was able to acquire a job working with Egyptian and Iraqi artifacts at the British Museum. Budge excavated and deciphered numerous cuneiform and hieroglyphic documents, contributing vastly to the museum's collection. Eventually, he became the Keeper of his department, specializing in Egyptology. Budge wrote many books during his lifetime, most specializing in Egyptian life, religion, and language.