Introduction



The Book of the Dead that belongs to Goucher College's special collections is a fascinating facsimile of the original Egyptian scroll of Ani, which was on display for a contemporary exhibit at the British Museum in London. This book comes in two volumes, both are different in color, but contain similar embellishments with papyri flowers on the upper and lower borders and the sound eye of Horus (Udjat), which symbolizes healing and protection. The decorations on both books’ covers have been stamped in pigment and metallic leaf. Both books, that measure 8 ¼”x12 ¼”, come in a slip case that protects them and enables them to be both portable and accessible at once. In addition, it is covered with cedar veneer for its protective function and durability.

The first volume (in the black cover) contains the translations of the spells from Egyptian hieroglyphics to English by Raymond Faulkner. It has a total of 192 pages that include an introduction by Faulkner and all 183 translated spells. The second one (in the red cover) holds the plates of the scroll folded in the form of a concertina. Thus, it is arranged in a way that combines both scroll and codex forms in a sense that the single scroll plane is folded to fir into a codex frame. There are twenty-four foldable plates in total, which unfold to a length of sixteen feet and five inches.

The illustrations and writing (originally done directly on papyrus) were printed on fine paper provided by the Abbey Mills in Wales. At first glance, both books seem to be arranged in a traditional codex form with folded folia. Although the first volume follows this order, the second one is the ‘surprise element’ since it defies this typical arrangement. The format was designed by John Dreyfus (an English typographer), who also chose the typeface in which the first volume was written.



Side note: previous example on the Book of the Dead [|Book of the Dead- Example]