Keynote A magnificent, lavishly illustrated book exploring the perilous journey that the ancient Egyptians believed lay between death and the perfect afterlife  a journey that could be navigated using a specially commissioned collection of magical  spells Sales points A ground-breaking and timely book that draws on intensive recent research at an exciting moment. The first comprehensive book on the subject for over thirty years. The British Museum holds an unequalled collection of Book of the Dead manuscripts on papyri, many of which have never been published before New photography provides lasting record of fragile and rarely exhibited material Published to accompany a major exhibition at the British Museum, 4 November 2010  6 March 2011 Description The Book of the Dead is a compilation of spells that the ancient Egyptians believed would assist them in the afterlife as they made their perilous journey towards the realm of the gods and the ultimate state of eternity. The spells are often accompanied by vignettes, which show the imagined landscape of the Netherworld, the gods and demons whom the deceased will meet, and the critical  weighing of the heart  the judgement that will determine whether the traveller will be admitted into the afterlife or condemned to destruction by the monstrous  Devourer . This fascinating and important book affords a greater understanding of ancient Egyptian belief systems and poignantly reveals the hopes and fears of mortal man about the  world beyond death. The whole is beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photographs of these exceptional papyri and an array of contextual funerary objects  painted coffins, gilded masks, amulets, jewellery, tomb figurines and mummy trappings. The Editor and Contributors John H. Taylor is a curator at the British Museum specializing in ancient Egyptian funerary archaeology. Irmtraut Munro  Institut für Kunstgeschichte und Archäologie, Bonn Rita Lucarelli  Institut für Kunstgeschichte und Archäologie, Bonn Barbara Lüscher  Ägyptologisches Seminar der Universität, Basel