Genesis is the first book in a compilation known collectively as the Bible. It is a text of enormous literary value, and one of our earliest historical chronicles, providing foundational material for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Yet how many of us know what it actually says? How did it come together, what is the narrative, and how does it relate to the ideas and events of the ancient world? We will not be considering Genesis in terms of its status as scripture. Instead, we consider it as a literary work, a case study in the History of the Book, and a primary source for the history of the ancient world.