From the Foreword by James P. Allen, Wilbour Professor of Egyptology, Brown University: The Pyramid Texts represent the oldest collection of literature of ancient Egypt. We call these records "Pyramid Texts" because they appear first in the pyramids of the fifth and sixth dynasty of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (circa 2350-2150 BC). Most studies of these texts focus on the pyramids of the fifth and sixth dynasty - that of kings Unas, Teti, Pepy I, and Merenre Pepy II and his queens. However, the examples from more recent periods are of equal interest, if not more interesting, because they demonstrate how the texts were used, modified, and perceived during the different historical periods of Ancient Egypt. For this reason these books are exceptional.