In his last book, Freud consolidated several of his life themes: his Judaism, his passion for archaeology and specifically ancient Egypt, his ambition and ethos as a researcher, as well as his pleasure in writing as a form of self-analysis. Inspiration came from reading the first two volumes of Thomas Mann's monumental Joseph novel, and a political impetus was provided by the growing anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria. The Book of Moses developed into one of the greatest documents of Jewish self-reflection and one of the most important books of the 20th century, whose enormous cultural significance is highlighted in the new edition by a brilliant afterword from the great Egyptologist Jan Assmann.