Initially published in 1979 by Random House, with subsequent paperback editions from Vantage Books (Knopf Doubleday) and Penguin Books, The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels continues to offer a comprehensive overview of many of the 52 ancient texts discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. This book remains significant even 46 years after its original release. Elaine Pagels is widely recognized as a leading expert on the history of early Christianity, from the death of Jesus Christ to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.