The History of Death
The History of Death
Regular price
Checking stock...
Regular price
Checking stock...
Summary
Death is universal, but each culture has found a different way to deal with it. This wide-ranging book examines the compelling subject of death, funeral rites and burial in different cultures and societies and balances grim facts with intriguing details drawn from many cultures and epochs, revealing how we define our lives through our passing.
The feel-good place to buy books
- Free US shipping over $15
- Buying preloved emits 41% less CO2 than new
- Millions of affordable books
- Give your books a new home - sell them back to us!
The History of Death by Michael Kerrigan
Death is universal, but each culture has found a different way to deal with it. This wide-ranging book examines the compelling subject of death, funeral rites and burial in different cultures and societies, from the drama of medieval French royal funerals to the burial alive of the Dinka ‘masters of the spear’ in the Sudan, from the Egyptian pyramids to the Chinese terra-cotta army to elaborate Victorian mausolea, and from the Grim Reaper to Hades and the Underworld. The History of Death illuminates the combination between the earthly and spiritual in funeral rites, the practices of human sacrifice and ritual killing, as well as the processes of grieving, burial, cremation, remembrance and the differing concepts of life after death. Funerals need not always be solemn, but can be celebratory, drunken and even lascivious. An intriguing yet sensitive treatment, the book includes more than 100 remarkable photographs and artworks of representations of death and funerary rituals. Far from being a morbid study, The History of Death balances grim facts with intriguing details drawn from many cultures and epochs, revealing how through our passing we, in fact, define our lives.
Michael Kerrigan was educated at St. Edward’s College and University College, Oxford, England. He is the author of The History of Death, A Dark History: The Roman Emperors, Ancients In Their Own Words, World War II Plans That Never Happened, and American Presidents: A Dark History. He is a columnist, book reviewer, and feature writer for publications including the Scotsman and the Times Literary Supplement. Michael Kerrigan lives with his family in Edinburgh.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781782744917 |
| ISBN 10 | 1782744916 |
| Title | The History of Death |
| Author | Michael Kerrigan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Amber Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2017-03-14 |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |