First Edition: 209 pages, colour and black & white illustrations throughout, blue cloth, dust jacket, blue paper covered slip case, fine copy.
Edition limited to 50 copies. This copy is unnumbered.
Author's Preface: 'The Book of the Gates takes its title from an ancient Egyptian funerary papyrus text. There were many such texts — for example Book of the Dead and the Book of Caverns. Their theme is how to bridge the divide between the worlds of this life and the afterlife. They provide the ritual interface, taking the initiate from the door of death through the necessary steps in order to please and appease the gods and counter the forces of chaos. They attempt to ensure a blessed existence in the realm of eternity. It was possible for an ordinary mortal who was able to prove a proper and moral life, and who through clever spells and incantations was able to ward off the vagaries of the powers of destruction, to attain an equal footing with the gods.'
- Overall Condition: Fine
- Size: 8vo (205 x 160 mm)
