11 h 27 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 27 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What do a civilization’s prayers, adventure tales and words of advice reveal about its hopes and fears?
In The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, E. A. Wallis Budge guides you through the writings of the Nile Valley. Priests, scribes, storytellers and teachers share the page. The selection ranges from the Pyramid Texts and hymns to tales of travel and magic, opening a world concerned with justice, memory and the life to come.
Budge explains the beliefs and concerns that run through these texts, from sacred prayers to everyday advice. Religious writings describe Egyptian beliefs about guiding the dead and seeking protection from danger. Elsewhere, stories turn to adventure and family quarrels, while wisdom teachings offer advice through the words of fathers and officials.
What you’ll discover
- Words for the dead Explore funerary writings that express Egyptian hopes and beliefs about the life to come.
- Hymns to the gods Read praises to Ra that describe his passage across the sky and through the night.
- Magic and adventure Meet storytellers whose tales bring travel, magic and family quarrels into view.
- Advice for living well Discover instructions framed as guidance from a father or an official to someone younger.
- Voices across the centuries Follow Budge through Egyptian writings that reveal a lasting concern with justice and memory.
Who will love it
Readers drawn to ancient history, mythology, religion, and Egyptian ideas about death, justice, and the gods will love this book. It also suits lovers of tales and poetry.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Thoth gave Egypt writing and wisdom
- Papyrus, reed, and palette shaped every page
- The Pyramid Texts aim to keep the king alive
- Court magicians show wonder and royal ambition
- The Book of the Dead equips the soul for travel
- The heart is weighed and the dead plead innocence
- Later books shrink the rites but keep Osiris
- Creation stories and legends of the gods
- Kings and officials record their own deeds
- Tales of exile, wrong, and a golden serpent
- Wisdom, laments, songs, and how to read
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
La letteratura degli antichi Egizi
by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge · 1914
A peasant robbed on a riverbank pleads his case nine times before a steward who must learn what justice means.
Medium level5–10 hours to readItaliano
Learn a language with medium classicsSpagnoloFranceseTedescoItalianoGiapponesePortogheseIngleseHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you pack for a journey that never ends? The ancient Egyptians had a clear answer: words.
La letteratura degli antichi Egizi in breve
- Tempo di lettura
- Circa 6 h4 h 45 min fast, 7 h 5 min slow
- Durata
- 85.300 parole
- Livello nella biblioteca
- Medio longer sentences, everyday words
- Prima pubblicazione
- 1914by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Quanto tempo ci vuole per leggere i classici · Aggiornato
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Thoth gave Egypt writing and wisdom
The Egyptians credited writing to a god. His name was Thoth, and he appears as a man with the head of an ibis. They saw him as the mind and wisdom of the God who made heaven and earth, so they held hieroglyphs to be holy.
Thoth also devised mathematics, arranged the seasons, and set the paths of the stars, moon, and sun. He served as clerk to the gods and kept the record of human deeds.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Hai guardato
Quale edizione fa per me
- 15-minute summary
- Le idee principali dell’intero libro in circa 14 minuti. Per un primo sguardo o per rinfrescare la memoria.
Dettagli
- First published
- 1914
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
- Medium level
Cita questa edizione
Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-literature-of-the-ancient-egyptians.
Budge, E. A. W. (2026). The literature of the ancient Egyptians. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-literature-of-the-ancient-egyptians (Original work published 1914)
Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-literature-of-the-ancient-egyptians.
@book{budge2026literature,
author = {Budge, E. A. Wallis},
title = {The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-literature-of-the-ancient-egyptians},
note = {First published 1914}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about La letteratura degli antichi Egizi
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians about?
It is a guided tour of Egyptian writing across about four thousand years, with translated examples. It covers pyramid spells, magic stories, the Book of the Dead, hymns, history, tales, wisdom, and poems, each with short notes on where it was found.
What is the Book of the Dead?
It is a large collection of chapters, spells, and prayers written on coffins, tomb walls, and papyrus. It was meant to help the dead cross the Other World, pass the judgment of Osiris, and live forever among the blessed.
Who was Thoth in ancient Egypt?
Thoth was the ibis-headed god of writing, wisdom, mathematics, and the stars. Egyptians believed he invented writing, kept the gods' records, and recorded the weighing of each dead person's heart in the Hall of Judgment.
The author
E. A. Wallis Budge
1857–1934 · British Egyptologist
Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (1857–1934) was a British Egyptologist. He was born in Bodmin, Cornwall, and worked in London at the British Museum. He wrote books about ancient Egypt and translated Egyptian writings. The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians appeared in 1914. He died in London.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
