The inscriptions translated in this volume span the full reign of Ramesses II (66+ years), and represent the main documentary evidence for the personal ambitions and achievements of this illustrious pharaoh and the principal members of his immediate family. The most celebrated texts in this corpus are the monumental inscriptions documenting Ramesses’ military exploits during the early years of his reign, together with his famous peace treaty with the Hittites in year 21 and his twin marriage contracts. Other notable texts are the renowned series of ‘Rhetorical’ stelae from Pi-Ramesse and beyond, a variety of inscriptions attesting to the celebration of more than a dozen Royal Jubilee (‘Sed’) Festivals, and the famous ‘List of Princes’. A considerable portion of this volume is devoted to the abundance of inscriptions that bear witness to the instigation by the king of a monumental programme of building works both in Egypt’s major metropolitan centres and in strategic sites throughout his wider empire. A further twenty-eight categories are devoted to the private monuments of the principal administrators of the Empire, along with the vast store of documentation pertaining to the activities of the royal artisans from the village of Deir el-Medina in western Thebes. First published in 1996 by Blackwell Publishers (Oxford & Cambridge, Mass.), this volume has been completely re-designed and is issued here for the first time in a handsome softback version.