Egyptian Amduat: The Book of the Hidden Chamber

This is a very nicely printed and bound volume of an ancient Egyptian spell for the dead. It is printed in hieroglyphics and with a translation. The book is expensive but nicely made. It is probably meant more for serious students. I am enjoying it, though, as an amateur student of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

I am also confused as to why the book was reviewed in such a negative light.. sloppy and disappointment are certainly not words I would use to describe this publication, not even close. This book has a nice heft to it, it is printed on quality paper, very sturdy dust jacket, the hardcover is a beautiful emerald color with silver metallic font, and the layout inside is quite pleasing, black font and color pictures. I am currently building a library on ancient Egypt, and I was specifically looking for photos of the actual chamber walls of Thutmosis III, and this is the only book so far that I have found containing them. It displays photos of each of the hours, all three registers, and while the pictures are smaller than what you see in the some of the larger Egyptology tomes (the book does measure 9x6), I am able to clearly identify all of the hieroglyphs and images on the walls. I use a magnifying glass for some of the tighter spots in the photos, but I think that kind of adds an extra dimension of fun and mystery to the text. There are also ink diagrams or schemas of each of the hours, and the glyphs are laid out nicely with the transliteration directly underneath, and the English translation below that. I'm not sure why people dislike this presentation, I actually find it to be quite useful. But then again, I'm not all that interested in other people's translations of Egyptian hieroglyphs anyway.. I see them more as guidelines than anything else. So if you are seeking, get this book! It is important, and a solid addition to the personal library. And even if it doesn't grab you when you first lay eyes on the contents, by all means hang onto it for future use. You'll be glad you did :-)

Truly a splendid book every library and Egypt lover should own: the reproduction of the hieroglyphics, their transliteration and translation of one of the most important religious texts of the Ancient Egyptians, used by great Pharaohs such as Thutmoses III, Sethos and Ramses in their tombs as a transformation tool to be born again . The Valley of Kings is one of the greatest archeoloical and historical wonders of the World and this book provides all the texts to understand teh Ancient Egyptians and their world's view

A breathtaking glimpse into one of the holy books of Ancient Egypt with excellent scholarly input.

Very well put together book, the binding is solid and the pages are of good quality. No real commentary for those that are looking for a thorough discussion on the mdw ntr and the mdw ntr isn't as crisp as I have seen in other publications. BUT, if you have even the faintest familiarity with the mdw ntr, reading them will be no problem at all. Photographs of the actual writing are included and are in color and easily read. This book is worth having, no question about it.

Very good book

GREAT BOOK!!!!

Simply an excellent edition. What else could you wish - pictures, transcription, hieroglyphs (yes, reversed, but this is the price you pay for being able to coordinate them with the transcription) and decent enough translation.