They would have been quite expensive so only wealthy, high-status people would have had them. They usually have beautiful coloured illustrations as well. The 'book' is usually a roll of papyrus with lots and lots of spells written on it in hieroglyphic script. The Book of the Dead isn't a finite text – it's not like the Bible, it's not a collection of doctrine or a statement of faith or anything like that – it's a practical guide to the next world, with spells that would help you on your journey. They imagined the afterlife as a kind of journey you had to make to get to paradise – but it was quite a hazardous journey so you'd need magical help along the way.
'Book of the Dead' is a modern term for a collection of magical spells that the Egyptians used to help them get into the afterlife. It was exciting to be able to focus on these special documents and to have the rare opportunity to display such a variety of them. The 'Journey through the afterlife: ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead' exhibition was the result of years of work behind the scenes in planning, preparation and research.
