So compelling an infiuence has this book exercised upon me, for fully one third of my life, that I write these words with a profound sense of gratitude and relief. My career in publishing began at Samuel Weiser's Bookstore in 1973. During my lunch hours, I loved to study the many rare and beautiful books kept in the old basement, and there came upon Budge's "elephant folio'" edition (measuring 143/4 inches x 21 inches) of the Papyrus of Ani. This volume, published by the British Museum in 1890, overwhelmed me with the intensity and beauty of its mysterious imagery. My interest in occult philosophy led me to study the text of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. At that time I used the virtually unreadable 1895 translation by Budge in the ubiquitous Dover reprint. Budge's translation had originally been released as a companion to the facsimile. One was expected to open to the images of the facsimile while reading the translation.

In January of 1979, I presumed upon my friendship with Donald Weiser and asked to purchase the facsimile. I promised him that, should he decide to publish it, he could photograph my copy. In February or March of that year, while riding alone on a deserted subway car at three in the morning, I found myself literally "watching" a vision of the book you are now holding in your hands taking shape - that is, the exquisite papyrus in full color running along the top of the page, with a readble, uncluttered English translation below. When in 1985 the color photo edition of Faulkner's Theban Recension was published by Macmillian, I firts thought my idea had been accomplished. But examination of the book revealed that it did not correspond to the majestic volume I had envisioned...