Just Life| Egyptian Book Of The Dead & More

A couple of years ago, a patron asked me to find him the Egyptian book of the dead. I almost giggled at that question telling myself that there is no chance that we would have such a book. 

Immediately, images of mummies running around London from The Mummy Returns came to mind.

You can't imagine how shocked I was when I found that book in our catalog.

So, I am leafing through this book to find out what this book is all about. 

To my disappointment, you can't bring back the dead with this book. 

In ancient Egypt, the book of the dead (roll of papyrus to be exact) was buried with the deceased person to help him in his journey through afterlife. 

Apparently, afterlife was quite a perilous journey where you would be tested and questioned and attacked by all sort of monsters. There were gates to pass through and questions to be answered before moving to the next stage and before finally reaching the Paradise. There was even the possibility of a second death which was apparently the worst thing that could happen to an already dead person.

 

Depending on your wealth, you could buy a fill in the blank Egyptian Book of the dead or a customized one.

The other perculiar book in our Ready Reference area is the Devil's Notebook. The book is written by Anton LaVey, founder of the church of Satan. I don't have any desire to read this book, but it is available if you want to take a peek at it.

I tell you, this library is full of surprises.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha