The Oldest Book in the World: Author Talk with Bill Manley

Join us at The Burrell Collection on Thursday 15 June at 11am as we celebrate the launch of The Oldest Book in the World: Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids by best-selling author and Egyptologist Dr Bill Manley.

Dr Manley will discuss his latest publication, delving beneath to cover to explore the origins of ancient philosophy.

The book will be available to purchase from The Burrell Collection shop for £25.

Tickets for this event are free and will be available to reserve from Glasgow Life’s Online Shop.

About the book:

Bill Manley presents a brand-new translation of a philosophical classic of the ancient world, The Teaching of Ptahhatp, written in Egypt 4,000 years ago.

The Teaching of Ptahhatp, composed two millennia before the birth of Plato, is the oldest surviving statement of philosophy in the ancient world. It ought to begin the list of the world’s philosophy classics, yet it has been largely forgotten since it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century.

Egyptologist Bill Manley’s new translation corrects this oversight, rendering the text into approachable modern English for the first time Ptahhatp’s profound yet practical account of ‘the meaning of life’.

Manley’s new translations and expert commentary provide a new perspective on the Pyramid Age and overturn traditional prejudices about the origins of writing and philosophy.

 'A superb book, in its own way as exciting as any excavation of a tomb. More exciting, perhaps, because it breathes life rather than death.’ - Stephen Fry

 About the author:

Bill Manley is an Egyptologist, university lecturer, museum curator and bestselling author. He teaches Egyptology and Coptic at the University of Glasgow, and is Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland. He was formerly Senior Curator for Ancient Egypt at National Museums Scotland, and continues to work with archaeological projects in Egypt. He has published books, catalogues and articles covering such diverse subjects as ancient texts, the history of Egyptology, the archaeology of Palestine and ancient Egyptian art. Thames & Hudson has published several of his books, including Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners and Egyptian Art.