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Summary: The Coptic Gnostic Library.
Review: From the publisher:The Coptic Gnostic Library continues where the Dead Sea Scrolls left off. Our main sources of information for the Gnostic religion are the so-called Nag Hammadi codices, written in Coptic. These were unearthed in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. The texts literally begin where the Dead Sea Scrolls end. Their discovery is considered equally significant as the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves, bringing to light a long-hidden wealth of information and insights into early Judaism and the roots of Christianity. Furthermore, these writings clearly show that the Gnostic religion was not only a force that interacted with early Christianity and Judaism in their formative periods, but also a significant religious movement in its own right. The Coptic Gnostic Library contains all the texts of the Nag Hammadi codices, both in the original Coptic and in translation. Each text has its own introduction, and full indexes are provided. The Coptic Gnostic Library is the starting point for all research into ancient Gnosticism. It is the result of decades of dedicated research by the most distinguished international scholars in this field. The Coptic Gnostic Library is the only authoritative edition of many of the Coptic writings of the Gnostics from the first centuries AD.
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Summary: Only For Serious Students
Review: The E.J. Brill Academic Press graciously reprinted the full Nag Hammadi library, which had previously only been available in 13 hardcover volumes at a price of $2000 (or was it only $1995? I forget...). Even at $500 the books are pricey, but given the fact that not everyone reads or cares to learn to read Coptic, I can understand the reasons behind the pricing. Each text from the Nag Hammadi Codices is presented in its original Coptic form along with an English translation mirroring the Coptic (i.e., the page on the left is Coptic and the page on the right is the English translation) along with an extensive and insightful critical apparatus linking the texts to the Greek New Testament, the Vulgate, writings of the early Church fathers, and other Nag Hammadi and Coptic works. Obviously, if you just want to read a translation you can buy one of any number of translations in one book for $30 and be satisfied. However, if you are a serious student of Early Christianity, the Coptic language, Egyptology or the like, this work has been extremely well researched, put together by specialists in the field with the utmost care, and presented in an accessible format. I highly recommend!
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