I have good news for you, Bob. The papyri which was thought to have been destroyed in a fire in Chicago was actually found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1967. jmancil, you can see the actual scroll on the Institute for Religious Research site (http://www.irr.org/mit/boapapyr.html). Also, a good book on this subject is ...By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus by Charles M. Larson. You can view this book on the irr site as well.

Actually the book of abraham was a funeral scroll of the Egyptian religion... It is true that it was found in Chicago but the contents have nothing to do with the LDS religion... If you doubt me look up: www.VOE.org The gold bible hoax: An examination of Mormonism by Perry Stone Jr PS no amount of negative points will change me mind... End of story...

Q: Where is the Book of Abraham papyrus today? A: In the LDS Church archives. It was archived there after being discovered and examined by both LDS and non-LDS experts. For many years the location of the papyri was unknown. However, in 1966 ten fragments were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Subsequently, an additional fragment was located in the LDS Church Historian's Office. The Deseret News of Salt Lake City on Nov. 27, 1967 acknowledged the rediscovery of the papyri. On the back of the papyri were "drawings of a temple and maps of the Kirtland, Ohio area." There could be no doubt that this was the original document from which Joseph Smith translated the book of Abraham. Therefore, they are now referred to as the Joseph Smith Papyri. Both Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists have examined and translated the fragments, concluding that they are portions of funerary texts, dating to about the first century BC. The text bears no resemblance to the translation given by Joseph Smith, and as a result the interpretation of the texts has been the source of significant controversy with Mormon critics and apologists differing on the reasons for the discrepancy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham http://www.carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/book-abraham-papyri-and-joseph-smith Q: And can it be used to demonstrate Joseph Smiths gift of translation? A: No. Quite the opposite in fact. What's on the papyri has NOTHING to do with the Book of Abraham. Rather they are from the Egyptian "Book of Breathings", an ancient funerary document Please refer to this link for full details as well as the embedded video. http://www.carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/book-abraham-papyri-and-joseph-smith When Joseph first gave his translation, hieroglyphics were undecipherable. Today they are. He was safe in saying anything he wanted to and there would be no way of proving him wrong. But with the resurfacing of the same papyri he used to do his Book of Abraham translation, and the fact that he did not in any way do it correctly relative to the papyri. http://www.carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/book-abraham-papyri-and-joseph-smith IMAGES: 1) Papyrus Joseph Smith 1 and Facsimile No. 1 Joseph Smith used this section of papyrus (PJS 1) as the basis for what is now Facsimile No.1 in the Book of Abraham. LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that Joseph inaccurately restored the missing portions of PJS 1 when he produced Facsimile No. 1, and that this demonstrates his lack of knowledge of ancient Egyptian. 2) The text of the Book of Abraham is supposed to be Joseph Smith's translation of this section of the scroll. Designated Papyrus Joseph Smith 11 (PJS 11), it was originally connected to PJS 1, from which Facsimile No. 1 was derived. This was verified by Dr. Klaus Baer, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago who wrote: "They clearly adjoin as proposed . . . . Papyrus fibers are always irregular and can be used (much like finger prints) to check whether fragments come from the same sheet; in this case the horizontal fibers on the left and right edges of Papyrus Joseph Smith I and XI, respectively, match exactly." (From Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Autumn 1968, pp. 133, 134). Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists, including Richard Parker, Klaus Baer, John A. Wilson, and Edward Ashment, have examined this piece of the Book of Abraham scroll and agree that it is the opening portion of a first-century A.D. Book of Breathings, a burial document that makes no mention of Abraham. Translation of PJS 11 by Professor Richard Parker of Brown University (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1968, p. 98). Line 1 — [. . . .] this great pool of Khonsu Line 2 — [Osiris Hor, justified], born of Taykhebyt, a man likewise. Line 3 — After (his) two arms are [fast]ened to his breast, one wraps the Book of Breathings, which is Line 4 — with writing both inside and outside of it, with royal linen, it being placed [at] his left arm Line 5 — near his heart, this having been done at his Line 6 — wrapping and outside it. If this book be recited for him, then Line 7 — he will breathe like the soul[s of gods] for ever and Line 8 — ever. The left side of the fragment begins the series of spells to be recited. 3) The Egyptian characters in the left margin of page 3 of the original Book of Abraham translation manuscript (below right) match up exactly with a succession of Egyptian characters from the upper right column of a section of the Book of Abraham scroll called Papyrus Joseph Smith 11 (below left). The original Book of Abraham translation manuscript has a succession of Egyptian characters from the papyrus scroll copied down the left margin. A careful examination reveals that these Egyptian characters were copied in order from PJS 11, indicating that the Book of Abraham is supposed to have been translated from this section of the papyrus scroll. This page of the translation manuscript begins at the end of Abraham 1:11 — "Therefore they were killed upon this altar, and it was done after the manner of the Egyptians." Source for Images and Descriptions = http://www.irr.org/mit/boa-papyri.html