A GRAVE AFFAIR

A Bibliography of books & other materials
on gravestones, cemeteries, epitaphs,
mourning, funerals, and related subjects.

These pages include items we have sold over the last decade, as well as other entries, and they are updated with new material on a regular basis. We hope that they will be interesting to those interested in these subjects. If you see a book listed here you would like to locate,
please let us know.

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Caldwall, Thomas. A Select Collection of Ancient and Modern Epitaphs, and Inscriptions; to which are added some on the Decease of Eminent Personages. London; Thomas Caldwall: 1796. The author notes in the preface: "The Compiler of the following sheets, having for many years made it a favourite amusement to collect from the various churches, church-yards, and burial-places (in those situations where business or pleasure induced him to go), such inscriptions as might be useful or entertaining, has been persuaded to form such selection of them as might be pleasing and instructive, and present them to the Public". A second edition was printed in 1802. Hardcover. 4.5"x7", iv + 416 pages, portrait frontispiece.

[Caldwell, Thomas] A Collection of Epitaphs and Inscriptions, Ancient and Modern; distinguished either for their Wit, Humour, and Singularity; Elegance of Composition; Morality of Sentiment, or Celebrity of Character. Carefully selected from preceding publications, including many never before printed. London; Printed for Lackington, Allen and Co.: 1802. First published in 1796 as "A select collection of ancient and modern epitaphs ... collected by Thomas Caldwall". The author notes in the preface: "The Compiler of the following sheets, having for many years made it a favourite amusement to collect from the various churches, church-yards, and burial-places (in those situations where business or pleasure induced him to go), such inscriptions as might be useful or entertaining, has been persuaded to form such selection of them as might be pleasing and instructive, and present them to the Public". Hardcover. 5"x8", iv + 416 pages.

California Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the Agassiz Memorial Meeting, Monday Evening, December 22, 1873 at Mercantile Library Hall. San Francisco; published by the Academy:1874. An interesting California memorial imprint, in honor of the great zoologist. 6"x9", 26 pages, softcover.

Cansick, Frederick Teague. A Collection of Curious and Interesting Epitaphs, copied from the monuments of Distinguished and Noted Characters in The Ancient Church and Burial Grounds of Saint Pancras, Middlesex. London; J. Russell Smith: 1869. This set was released incrementally. The second volume, released in 1872, expanded its coverage to other cemeteries and churches in Saint Pancras. Volume 3, released in 1875, covers churches and churchyards in Hornsey, Tottenham, Edmonton, Enfield, Friern Barnet, and Hadley. Hardcover. Large paper edition. 3 volumes. 7.5"x10.25, xxvi + 236 ; xxv + 294; xxxvi + 296 pages; some b/w plates.

Cansick, Frederick Teague. A Collection of Curious and Interesting Epitaphs, copied from the monuments of Distinguished and Noted Characters in The Ancient Church and Burial Grounds of Saint Pancras, Middlesex. London; J. Russell Smith: 1869. As a collection of epitaphs these volumes are a valuable and immense compilation, sure to be of more general interest than the title would suggest. This set was released incrementally; the second volume, released in 1872, expanded its coverage to other cemeteries and churches in Saint Pancras; Volume 3, released in 1875, covers churches and churchyards in Hornsey, Tottenham, Edmonton, Enfield, Friern Barnet, and Hadley. Hardcover. 3 volumes. 5.25"x7.5", xxvi + 236 ; xxv + 294; xxxvi + 296 pages; some b/w plates.

Carey, Mathew. A Short Account of the Malignant Fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia: with a statement of the Proceedings that took place on the subject in different parts of the United States. Philadelphia; printed by the author, November 23, 1793. 2nd edition. Includes a list of Philadelphians who "have died since the first of August", a list of burials between August 1st and November 9th, by cemetery, and meteorological observations made by David Rittenhouse in August, September, October and November. 5.5"x9", 103 + 9 pages.

Carpenter, Mrs. Josiah. Gravestone Inscriptions. Gathered by the Old Burial Grounds Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire. Cambridge; printed at The Riverside Press: 1913. Organized by town. Hardcover. 5.25"x7.75", 63 pages.

Cary, Alpheus. A Collection of Epitaphs, suitable for Monumental Inscriptions, from approved authors. Boston; Alpheus Cary: 1865. The author notes in his preface- "It cannot but be a source of regret to every person of correct taste that, on those durable memorials which are erected to the dead, so bad a style should prevail with regard to monumental inscriptions. In visiting the burial-grounds in this country, we often meet, not only with inappropriate and unmeaning epitaphs, but with gross violations of the common rules of grammar and syntax". The decorated half-title is a striking illustration of an urn atop a pediment with a large draped cloth coming down, wrapped around the shoulders of a weeping boy -the whole effect is very Gorey-esque. Hardcover. 4.5"x7", 160 pages, lithographed half-title.

[Casket plates] A pair of fancy casket plates in the original box. National Casket Co.: ca. 1900. The two heavy metal plates have an "Antique Silver" finish and feature scrolled, swirling corners. The box indicates that there were originally four plates. 7.75"x4", 2 plates in a cardboard box with a label.

[Casket] A Glass Negative of a Funeral Casket. National Casket Company: ca: 1917. An interesting glass negative picturing a new casket, black with brass rails and a velvet interior, with the top propped open; obviously a negative used for a catalog illustration. A plaque in front of the casket gives an item number. 1 glass plate negative. 11"x14".

Caxton, William. Ars Moriendi. That is to saye the craft for to deye for the helthe of mannes soule. Photolithograph of the unique and perfect copy, printed about 1491 by William Caxton or Wynken de Worde, preserved in the Bodleian library, Oxford. London; Bernard Quaritch:1891. A facsimile of the apparently unique copy in the Bodleian. Edward Nicholson has written a brief commentary on the printing. 6"x9", 7 + [16] pages; softcover.

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut. 1863-1903. Cedar Hill Cemetery:1903. A promotional book describing in great detail the outline, plans, history and regulations of this urban cemetery. This is "second generation" landscape cemetery, not in the grand style of Greenwood or Mount Auburn, but designed along those general lines. There are many good photographs of the handsome Victorian stone buildings and the scenic vistas that were available. 6.5"x9.5", 56 pages plus 2 maps and 11 b&w plates.

Chappell, Chase, Maxwell & Co. Illustrated Catalogue of Cloth, Velvet-covered and Wood-finished Burial Caskets manufactured by Chappell, Chase, Maxwell & Co. 1884. New York, Rochester & Onieda:1884. A complete Victorian casket guide, from the plain to the very ornate. 5.5"x8.5", 105 pages, steel-engraved illustrations.

[Charles III Funeral Oration] In Funere Caroli III Hispaniar Regis Catholici Oratio habita in Sacello Pontificio a Bernardino Ridolfi, Sanctissimi D.N. PII Sexti Intimo Cubiculario Canonico Vaticano, Iudice et Auditore Generali Sac. Congr. Rev. Fabricae S. Petri de Urbe. Parmae; Ex Regio Typographeo: 1789. [Bodoni]. The very handsomely printed and illustrated funeral oration for Charles III (1716-1788), Duke of Parma (1731-1739) King of Naples and Sicily (173559) and King of Spain (175988). Charles III is regarded as the greatest Bourbon king of Spain, more for his domestic than foreign achievements. Shortly after coming to the throne he ended Spain's neutrality in the Seven Years War by siding with France, shortly before their defeat. Learning from past mistakes, and taking advantage of the chance to get back at England, he picked the correct side in the American Revolution. Under his administration major reforms were carried out in the way Spain's colonies in the Americas were governed. An able administrator and economic reformer, in 1751 (as King of the Two Sicilies) he built the Reale Albergo dei Poveri, a palace for the poor, vagabonds and orphans. A supporter of the Enlightenment, in 1761 he exiled the Inquisitor General from Madrid and expelled the Jesuits from Spain in 1767. His reign is typically viewed as a happy one, he was a popular king, and Spain prospered under his leadership. In Madrid he built a new Customs House, began the Prado gallery, and built an observatory, botanical gardens, a Natural History Library and a new hospital. He died in 1788 and was succeeded by his son, Charles IV. This very handsome funeral oration was printed by Bodoni in Parma -and there hangs an interesting connection. Charles III was a former Duke of Parma, and the Duke of Parma whose Press Bodoni ran for much of his career, and for whom he printed this volume, was none other than Charles' nephew, Ferdinand. This handsome volume is illustrated with a full-page engraved plate as well as a number of very handsome and interesting engraved vignettes. The illustrations were based on designs by Stefano Tofanelli, of whom Benezit notes: "Il executa nombre de dessins d'apres les grands maitres pour les plus celebres graveurs de son temps. On lui doit aussi un certain nombre de tableaux d'autels et de compositions mythologiques. Il fonda une ecole de dessin a Rome en 1781 puis devint professeur a l'Universite de Lucques en 1802". The illustratios were engraved by two noted engravers -Giovanni Volpato (who had studied under Bartolozzi) and his pupil, the Florentine artist Rafaello Morghen. The frontispiece shows the king's coffin, with his crown and scepter laid on top, lying before the Cardinal and assembled clergy; the vignettes include many mourning figures, funeral urns and drapery, medallions showing the King and Queen, figures from mythology, lions, and a North American Indian. A superlative piece of 18th cenutry printing. Hardcover. 10"x14", viii + 29 pages, engraved frontispiece and 5 engraved vignettes, plus two decorated initial letters. Bound in full period polished, spattered calf with gilt rules and gilt spine decorations; marbled endpapers; silk page ribbon.

Chase, Theodore & Laurel K. Gabel. John Gaud: Boston and Connecticut Gravestone Carver, 1693-1750. [contained in] The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, Spring, 1985. A well-documented article throwing much light on early gravestone carving in New England. Softcover. 6"x9", article- pp.74-104; 14 b/w and 4 line illustrations.

Clark, Edward Gordon. The Tale of the Shakespeare Epitaph. Chicago; Belford, Clarke & Co.: 1888. 1st edition. Easily the most loony Bacon / Shakespeare book I have ever glanced through. The author picks apart the famous epitaph of Shakespeare backwards, forwards, inside-out and upside-down and reveals dozens of Bacon ciphers. These reveal, among other things, that Bacon drugged and poisoned the Bard before Shakespeare could reveal frightful secrets... Truly a unique study of a famous epitaph. Hardcover. 5.5"x8", 227 + 15 pages; b/w illustrations.

Clarke, George Kuhn. Epitaphs from Graveyards in Wellesley (Formerly West Needham), North Natick, and Saint Mary's Churchyard in Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, with Genealogical and Biographical Notes. Boston; Privately printed: 1900. A collection of quite detailed transcriptions and descriptions, gathered during 1897 and '98. At the end of the book there is an additional 5-page offprint from the Dedham Historical Society Register titled "Epitaphs from a Graveyard in Weston". Hardcover 6.5"x10", 236 + 5 pages.

Clarke, Joseph Henry. Reminiscences of Early Embalming. New York; The Sunnyside:1917. Clarke (1840-1916) was an innovator in the Victorian rediscovery of the secrets of embalming and founded the American Embalming School. 5"x7.5", xxxvii, 443 pages, portrait frontispiece.

[Clay, Henry] Obituary Addresses on the Occasion of the Death of the Hon. Henry Clay, A Senator of the United States from the State of Kentucky, delivered in the Senate and in the House of Representatives on the United States, June 30, 1852, and the Funeral Sermon of the Rev. C.M. Butler, Chaplain of the Senate, preached in the Senate, July 1, 1852. Washington; Robert Armstrong: 1852. Tributes and the funeral address for Henry Clay, the great statesman and orator. A slaveowner who favored abolition, Henry Clay helped author the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Great Compromise of 1850. The most influential Whig of his day, the party did not long survive his death but was reborn as the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln. Hardcover. 6"x9", 135 pages, portrait frontispiece.

Clayton, Muriel. Catalogue of Rubbings of Brasses and Incised Slabs. London; HMSO: 1979. An updated edition of a catalog first publish in 1915, of the rubbings of monumental brasses in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Of the several thousands of rubbings in the V&A's collection, 627 were identified and catalogued for the first time in this edition. Indexed by place and name. Softcover. 7"x9.5", xiv + 250 pages, plus 72 b/w plates.

Cleaveland, Nehemiah. Green-Wood Cemetery: A History of The Institution from 1838 to 1864. New York; Anderson & Archer: 1866. A very early and detailed history of this important garden cemetery, pre-dated only by Smillie's 1847 study. Mount Auburn in Cambridge (1831) and then Greenwood in Brooklyn were the first "garden cemeteries" in America. The garden cemetery movement followed the general Victorian trend of turning towards the out-of-doors for recreation and improvement, and cemeteries changed from being dank, forbidding places to places with elaborately landscaped grounds, plantings and ponds where families could come on weekends. When this book was published, Greenwood had been in existence just 26 years, but they had been very exciting years... Hardcover. 6"x9.5", 233 pages, 18 engraved plates and 3 maps, two folding.

Cobb, Augustus G. Earth-Burial and Cremation. The history of earth-burial with its attendant evils, and the advantages offered by cremation. New York; G.P. Putnam's Sons:1892. Cobb was a past-President of the United States Cremation Company and a vice-president of the New York Cremation Society. He provides an interesting chronicle of the progress of the modern cremation movement, especially that of the United States. 5.5"x8", 173 pages, b&w frontispiece.

Codman, Ogden. Gravestone Inscriptions and Records of Tomb Burials in the Central Burying Ground, Boston Common and Inscriptions in the South Burying Ground, Boston. Salem; The Essex Institute: 1917. Edition limited to 200 copies. Building on the works of Bridgman and Whitmore, based in large part on the survey conducted by Henry May, this was an attempt to produce a final, comprehensive survey. Hardcover. 6"x9", 167 pages.

Coffin, Margaret M. Death in Early America. The History and Folklore of Customs and Superstitions of Early Medicine, Funerals, Burials, and Mourning. Nashville; Thomas Nelson: 1976. A very interesting, informative book, touching on funeral customs, coffins and hearses, superstitions and warnings of death, burial grounds, gravestones and epitaphs, body snatching, mourning customs, memorials, etc. The text is well illustrated with a wide variety of b/w illustrations. Hardcover. 6"x9", 252 pages, b/w illustrations, dj; bibliography.

Coggins, Clemency C. & Orrin C. Shane III (eds.). Cenote of Sacrifice. Maya Treasures from the Sacred Well at Chichen Itza. Austin; University of Texas Press:1984. The sacrificial and other offerings excavated at this site document eight centuries of Maya culture and folk arts. The material was in the collection of the Peabody Museum at Harvard, but had mostly remained in storage until this exhibition, which was co-sponsored by the Science Museum of Minnesota. 8.5"x11", 176 pages, color and b&w illustrations, softcover.

Cohen, Daniel. The Body Snatchers. Philadelphia; J.B. Lippincott Company: 1975. A popular history of body-snatching for anatomical and other purposes. Softcover. 6"x8", 159 pages, b/w illustrations.

Cohen, Kathleen. Metamorphosis of a Death Symbol. The Transi Tomb in the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Berkeley; University of California Press:1973. "The medieval preoccupation with death and its images found striking expression in the so-called transi tomb, on which the corpse of the deceased is portrayed in modes ranging from skeletal decay to the hieratic repose of monarchs. The transi figure represented a clear and often dramatic visual break with traditional medieval tomb imagery in which the deceased was portrayed in a state of eternal blessedness...This is the most comprehensive account available of European transi tombs." 9"x11.5", 215 pages, plus 122 b&w illustrations, dj.

Combs, Diana Williams. Early Gravestone Art in Georgia and South Carolina. Athens; The University of Georgia Press:1986. Although many of these gravestones were carved by New England stonecarvers, the motifs used reflect the more cosmopolitan and decorative tastes of the South instead of the Puritan-based severity of the North. This well illustrated survey includes much material on the stylistic sources for the decorative patterns and iconology of Southern gravestone art -a very worthwhile, interesting book. 8.5"x10.5", 246 pages, b&w and line illustrations, dj.

Combs, Diana Williams. Eighteenth-Century Gravestone Art in Georgia and South Carolina. Emory University: 1978/Ann Arbor; UMI Reprints. A dissertation attempting to document all the 18th century iconic gravestones in Georgia and South Carolina. Comb-bound. 8.5"x11", 718 pages, poor b/w illustrations; bibliography.

Cornell, William M. Charles Sumner: Memoir and Eulogies. Boston; James H. Earle:1874. Interesting as a collection of the funeral orations and eulogies of the famous anti-slavery congressman. Includes the eulogies given in the Massachusetts Senate, before the Boston city authorities, an oration given at Faneuil Hall, and a number of eulogies given in the U.S. Senate. 5"x7.5", 336 pages, several b&w plates.

Cowper, J.M. The Memorial Inscriptions in The Church and Churchyard of Holy Cross, Westgate, Canterbury. Copied by J.M. Cowper. Canterbury; Cross & Jackman, The Canterbury Press: 1888. Edition limited to 50 copies. Holy Cross Church was founded around 1380 by Archbishop Simon of Sudbury and renovated three times in the 19th century. It was closed in the 1970s, and now serves as a Guildhall. The church sits adjacent to Westgate, at the end of the London Road, the largest surviving city gate in England and the entrance through which the Canterbury pilgrims, including Geoffrey Chaucer, passed to enter the city. Hardcover. 7"x8.5", viii + 104 pages, b/w frontispiece.

Creaghan, John S. & A.E. Raubitschek. Early Christian Epitaphs from Athens. Woodstock; Theological Studies: 1947. A survey of some surviving epitaphic Christian inscriptions up to about A.D. 500. Includes an evaluation of the shapes of the stones and symbolism. Reprinted from 'Hesperia' Volume XVI. Hardcover. 9"x12", 54 pages, plus 10 b/w plates.

Creeny, W.F. Illustrations of Incised Slabs on the Continent of Europe from Rubbings and Tracings by W.F. Creeny, Vicar of Saint Michael-at-Thorn, Norwich. Printed for the author:1891. An elaborate and dramatic study of memorial slabs found in Europe and rubbed by the author. These slabs date from the 12th-16th centuries, and illustrate a vivid selection of formal memorial art as found in cathedrals. 12"x15.5", 5 pages of text plus 69 photo-lithographed plates with facing descriptions.

Cremation in Great Britain. The Modern Cremation Movement -Description of British Crematories, etc., Illustrated with Numerous Views, together with the Cremation Act, 1902, and Regulations for carrying out Cremation. London; The Cremation Society of England:1909. Cremation was still a relatively controversial subject at this time; it had only been reintroduced into England in the 1870s, and was still not quite a polite subject. This very interesting handbook contains histories, descriptions and illustrations of a number of English crematoriums -many of which were built to resemble cathedrals or country churches. There are also many advertisements for a number of services and fittings, including interesting plates of memorial urns and caskets. 5"x7", 96 pages, b&w and line illustrations, softcover.

[Cremation] "Cremation in Fashion". London; John R.Wildman:1910. An interesting little advertising piece. Wildman, a Cremation Undertaker, reprints an article on cremation from a popular magazine, and puts in a plug for himself along with a formal (but dignified) box advertisement at the end. The article itself spends a lot of time discussing how upper-class ladies seem to always take the lead in cremation (being, not doing). Very Edwardian. 5.5"x9", 1 sheet, folded once to make 4 pages.

Cross, David & Robert Bent. Dead Ends. An Irreverent Field Guide to the Graves of the Famous. New York; Plume Books:1991. An alphabetical listing of where and how 500 celebrities from a variety of fields of life are buried. 5"x9", 304 pages, softcover.

Crossley, Fred H. English Church Monuments A.D. 1150-1550. An Introduction to the Study of Tombs & Effigies of the Mediaeval Period. London; B.T. Batsford:1921. A vast survey with hundreds of fine b&w photographs. The author first discusses materials, coloring and contracts, before going on to survey the decoration and architectural styles of tombs chronologically by century; he then examines effigies and costume as depicted on tombs, and finally memorial brasses. The text also touches on heraldry and metal grates surounding tombs. 7.5"x10.5", 274 pages, hundreds of b&w illustrations.

Crowell, Robert. A Sermon delivered in Ipswich, Second Parish, July 23, 1818, on the occasion of Reinterring the Coffins which had been Robbed of their Contents. Andover; printed by Flagg and Gould:1818. "Some time in the course of the past winter, suspicions were excited...that the body of a young woman had been taken from her grave, for anatomical purposes ...An examination was accordingly made, and the painful discovery evinced -Her body was gone! Before the examination was closed, it was ascertained that the bodies of not less than eight persons had been sacrilegeously stolen..." 5.5"x9", 40 pages; disbound from a larger compilation.

Croy, Homer. The Last Word. Hollywood; Specialist Publishing Company: 1932. 2nd Edition. With illustrations by Walt Disney, Dean Cornwell, Don Herold, D.R. Fitzpatrick and Roy James. A cute little book, but nobody buys it for the text -they buy it because it is a Disney item. Sure enough, on page 82 there is a lovely illustration of a Mickey Mouse-topped monument (Mickey is standing on a large piece of granite cheese) with the epitaph "Mickey Mouse -now playing at the Celestial Theatre - Heaven". Hardcover. 5"x7", 88 pages, line illustrations.

Curl, James Stevens. A Celebration of Death. An introduction to some of the buildings, monuments, and settings of funerary architecture in the Western European tradition. New York; Charles Scribner's Sons: 1980. A wide-ranging survey, starting in ancient times, progressing through the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, then going on to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Curl then discusses the 17th and 18th century crisis of overcrowded cemeteries, the building of mausoleums and other memorial buildings, the development of cemeteries in Britain in the 19th century, J.C. Loudon and the Garden Cemetery movement, other great 19th century cemeteries in Europe and America, the development of cremation and other alternatives, and war cemeteries and memorials. A wide-ranging, far-reaching study, fully illustrated. Hardcover. 7.5"x10", 404 pages, illustrated throughout in b/w, dj; bibliography.

Curl, James Stevens. The Victorian Celebration of Death. Detroit; The Partridge Press:1972. Curl wrote another book, "A Celebration of Death", which was a wider-ranging survey, in 1980. This work is considerably scarcer. "The architecture and planning of the 19th century necropolis with some observations on the ephemera of the Victorian funeral and a special chapter on cemeteries and funeral customs in America". 6"x8.5", 222 pages, b&w illustrations.

Cust, Lionel. The Master E.S. and The 'Ars Moriendi'. A Chapter in the History of Engraving during the XVth Century. Oxford; at the Clarendon Press:1898. The 'Ars Moriendi', or 'Art of Good and Evil Dying', was a religious treatise that sheds much light on how society viewed Death during and after the Middle Ages. The images of dying men beset by angels and demons, both vying for the soon-to-be-departed's soul, must have scared the pants off many a potentially wayward reader. This study focuses on both the 'Ars Moriendi' phenomenon, and a group of engravings of it by the master "E.S.", from the collection in the University galleries at Oxford. 10"x13", 61 pages, many b&w facsimiles.

[Custer-related] Obituary of Captain Louis McLane Hamilton. Offprinted broadside, from the New York Herald, December 21, 1868. Captain Hamilton, grandson of founding-father Alexander Hamilton, was killed during the infamous "battle" of the Washita while serving under George Armstrong Custer. Custer's second-most famous engagement, the Washita fight was notable for the fact that the tactics employed by Custer -attacking without adequate reconnaissance in a situation where a little more probing would have turned up more Indians than expected- were the same he used 8 years later at the Little Big Horn river, except with less fatal (for Custer, anyway) results. Major Elliot and his 19 enlisted men, abandoned by Custer, were the most infamous army casualties in the fight, but there were others, including Captain Hamilton. This obituary goes on at melodramatic Victorian length about the grand tradition of soldiering, draws attention to the recently ended Civil War, and ends by commenting that young Hamilton died "to clear a way for (the) grand march of westward empire, fiercely obstructed by mysteriously doomed aboriginal savages, this descendant of that statesman and soldier, Alexander Hamilton, has contributed his young unsullied life at the call of that country and in the brave and stalwart rendering of soldierly duty." 7.5"x10", single sheet, printed on one side.

Cutter, Fred. Art and the Wish to Die. Chicago; Nelson-Hall:1983. An exceptionally interesting study of death and especially suicide as portrayed in the arts, from ancient statuary and vases to modern pop art. 6"x9", 294 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Cuyler, Rev. Theo. L. The Empty Crib: A Memorial of Little Georgie. With Words of Consolation for Bereaved Parents. New York; R. Carter and Brothers:1869. A memorial book of letters, poetry and good advice, relating to the death of George Sidney Cuyler. "one of the twin children of Rev. Theodore L. and Annie E. Cuyler, born in Brooklyn, July 9, 1863. Went Home to Heaven, April 19, 1868." An elaborate production with a gilt impressed picture of an empty rib with mourning drapery around it surrounded by the title on the front cover. 4"x5.5", 159 pages, with two engravings, one showing George at age 3, and the other the twins together at about the same age.

D'Auria, Sue, et al. Mummies & Magic. The Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt. Boston Museum of Fine Arts & Dallas Museum of Art:1988. An exceeeeedingly fine and interesting catalog. Very well illustrated and written -darn near perfect, in fact. 8.5"x11", 276 pages, b&w and color illustrations, softcover.

Damon, Norwood. The Holy Voice. A Discourse, delivered before The Society of the Rev. David Damon, in West Cambridge, Mass. on Friday, May 14, 1841, the Day of the National Fast, appointed in consequence of the Death of William Henry Harrison, President of the United States. Boston; Charles C. Little and James Brown: 1841.   Softcover, 5.5"x9", 16 pages.

Danforth, Loring M. The Death Rituals of Rural Greece. Princeton University Press:1982. A fascinating ethnographic study of an age-old culture. 7.5"x9.5", 169 pages of text plus 31 b&w plates with facing text; dj.

Darby, Elisabeth & Nicola Smith. The Cult of the Prince Consort. New Haven; Yale University Press: 1983. "The Victorian Age is renowned for its sentimentality, its obsession with the rituals of mourning, and its taste for extravagant works of art. These characteristics reached their zenith in the frenzy of commemorative rituals and monuments that followed the death of Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert. Mingling biography with cultural politics and art history, this absorbing book examines the motivation and consequences of the Albert cult. It explores for the first time the total range of public and private tributes to the Prince Consort, from the elaborate and costly Royal Mausoleum to the still more extravagant National Albert Memorial to the commemorative belt clasps, hankies and photographs that proliferated after Prince Albert's demise". Hardcover. 8"x10", 120 pages, b/w illustrations, dj.

Dauley & Wright. Dauley & Wright Monuments. Oneonta: nd (ca.1900). A small, well illustrated brochure illustrating the work and workshops of this maker of fine granite stones and monuments. 5"x8", 20 pages, b&w illustrations, softcover.

Davey, Richard. A History of Mourning. London; Jay's: ca.1890. A well illustrated Victorian survey of funeral ceremonies and mourning rituals, from ancient times through the 19th century. The Victorians spent much time mourning, but there are few books of the period devoted to the subject of its history. Hardcover. 10"x11.5", 111 pages, numerous illustrations, pictorial gilt covers.

Death List. No place: 1810-1819. A very curious item indeed. A 4-page sheet which lists deaths (dates, names and ages) during a 10-year period. A large number of the dead were children. The hand of the compiler is the same throughout, but the ink and lettering varies, so this was presumably a running tally, not a later compilation from city or county records. There is no indication as to where this originated, nor for what purpose, though one supposes a city registrar, clergyman, or undertaker (though the lack of burial notes and charges makes the latter seem unlikely). One sheet, folded once to make four pages, then folded two more times for storage.

Death Rides the Highway! Arizona Oil Information Committee; nd (ca. 1950s). A dramatic small poster or large handbill. Bordered in black, the text reads- "Death Rides the Highway -Save a Life - It May be YOURS or ONE of YOUR FAMILY -Please Drive Carefully!" -the text is illustrated with a picture of a grinning skull in a cape. 6"x9", 1 sheet.

Death's Duell. A Sermon delivered before King Charles I in the beginning of Lent 1630/1 by Dr. John Donne, Late Dean of St. Paul's. Edited, with a postscript by Geoffrey Keynes Kt. Boston; David R. Godine:1973. The last sermon Donne preached, delivered shortly before his death. The extensive postscript deals with Donne's career as preacher and poet, and tells of the unusual preparations he made for his own death. There is also an account of the history of the famous marble effigy of Donne in his shroud, which may still be seen at St. Paul's Cathedral. 7.5"x11", 54 pages plus 5 b&w plates illustrating a 1632 engraving of Donne in his shroud, and engravings of Donne's effigy in 1658 and 1803 as well as a contemporary photograph; dj.

Derick, Burton D. Cemetery Inscriptions of Dennis, Massachusetts. Bowie; Heritage Books:1993. A massive, comprehensive survey of one town's gravestones. 5.5"x8", 567 pages, softcover. $20.00

Dickerson, Robert B. Jr. Final Placement. A Guide to the Deaths, Funerals, and Burials of Notable Americans. Algonac; Reference Publications:1983. 2nd printing. A fascinating compendium of short anecdotal selections about the lives, deaths and burials of around 300 notable Americans. 6"x9", 250 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Diprose, John. Diprose's Book of Epitaphs: Humorous, Eccentric, Ancient & Remarkable. London; Diprose and Bateman: 1879. An interesting collection. The frontispiece shows two old English churchyards -those of St. Leonard's at Shoreditch and St. Pancras. Hardcover. 5"x7.5", 80 pages, several b/w illustrations.

Donaldson, Norman & Betty. How Did They Die? The last days, words, afflictions, and resting places of over 300 notables throughout history. New York; St. Martin's Press:1980. Fascinating reading for those with the right turn of mind... 6"x9", 398 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Dorner, Alexander. The Background of Egyptian Art. [in the] Bulletin of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. July, 1939. An entire issue devoted to Egyptian arts. Also includes articles on Egyptian grave monuments, the mummy of Nes-min, the coffin of Nes-min, X-rays of Nes-min's mummy, Egyptian jewelry, etc. Softcover. 7"x9", 48 pages, b/w illustrations.

Dorntee Casket Company. 1888 Price List of Textile Covered Burial Caskets and Funeral Supplies of Every Description. Boston:1888. A fascinating trade catalog which, in addition to the caskets themselves,lists and describes the pillows, drapery, linings, casket rugs, etc. which decorated the caskets. There are also short listings for embalming supplies, candelabra, and horse nets. 6.5"x10", 32 pages, b&w line cuts, softcover.

Drew, Benjamin. Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Its Monuments and Gravestones, Numbered and Briefly Described, and the Inscriptions and Epitaphs Thereon Carefully Copied. Plymouth; published by the author: 1897. An interesting descriptive listing of 2,162 gravestones at New England's oldest cemetery. The listings include not only the usual details of names and epitaphs and other markings, but also a thumbnail description of the stone, including the material it is made of, notable decorations, and condition, making this a very interesting reference. Softcover. 4.25"x7.5", xxii + 310 pages, 2 b/w illustrations.

Drews, Donald W., et al. Cemetery Land Planning. Pittsburgh; Matthews Memorial Bronze:1964. A general technical study. 6"x9", 91 pages, line illustrations.

Druitt, Herbert. A Manual of Costume as Illustrated by Monumental Brasses. London; Alexander Moring Ltd.: 1906. One of the most popular hobbies surrounding monumental brasses of the Medieval Period through the 16th and 17th centuries is to use them as clothes horses of a type- to examine them to see how people were dressed during various periods. I shall not delve into the hazards of attributing specific styles in this manner; others better versed than I have done so much more convincingly. However, it does seem to be generally agreed that there is something to be learned from such study, and the resources the brasses afford are certainly generous. This early study groups the brasses, as they usually are grouped, by type of dress and gender. Hardcover. 6"x9", xxii + 384 pages, many b/w plates.

[Duke of Clarence] A mourning card for the Duke of Clarence. Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association:1892. A black-bordered mourning card announcing a muffled peal of double Norwich Court Bob Major of 5008 changes, composed and conducted by Rev. H.L. James, rung as a token of respect by the Society for H.R.H., the Late Duke of Clarence and Avondale, January 18th, 1892. Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, son of Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) and Grandson of Queen Victoria, has for several decades been a leading suspect in the Jack the Ripper mystery. Confirmed and debunked by turn, whether the Duke was or was not The Ripper, he remains an integral part of the mystery because of the many theories surrounding his somewhat mysterious life and death.   3"x4.5", black-bordered card, with decorative elements at the corners.

Duncan, Thomas W. [Manuscript] A Sermon Delivered at Wrentham North Parish January 30th, 1820, the next Sabbath after my wife died. Wrentham; 1820. An interesting manuscript sermon on the subject of death, dying, and Christian salvation. Even as all men live and assume they shall go on living, the Rev. Duncan notes, death will come to all, because "there are none who can escape this king of terrors". He goes on to warn of the dangers death holds for the unsaved, and to assure his listeners that the saved will go to a better place. Near the end of the sermon he addresses himself, his children, and friends and neighbors on the subject of grieving and celebrating the passing on of a loved one. Softcover. 4.25"x7", 35 numbered pages; a paper pamphlet in blue covers with 18 unlined leaves, hand-numbered 1-35 (1 side of 1 leaf left blank). Text written in ink throughout in a fairly legible hand. With a separate sheet inserted loosely reading- "Walpole, May 12, 18(torn)- As a token of love and respect, will the Union Church in North Wrentham please to accept this volume of sacred writ, for their pulpit, from Mary Robichaux". It's not clear if this refers to this volume or not.

[Dutchess of Gloucester] Ceremonial (of) Her Late Royal Highness the Dutchess of Gloucester... (London) 1857. Two pieces of ephemera from the funeral of the Dutchess of Gloucester, fourth daughter of King George III. First is the funeral program, featuring a description of the itinerary, order and participants of the procession and service. The names of some participants have been added in pen in the margins; the pages are bordered in black and the front decorated with a crown; Second are several ledger pages detailing the expenses for the funeral, item by item, with their cost. 2 items. Each about 8"x13", and each a single large sheet folded once to make four pages.

Duval, Francis Y. & Ivan B. Rigby. Early American Gravestone Art in photographs. New York; Dover Publications:1978. 8.5"x11", 133 pages, b&w illustrations, softcover.

The Dying Speeches and Behaviors of the several State Prisoners That have been Executed the last 300 Years; with Their several Characters from the best Historians, as Cambden, Spotswood, Clarendon, Sprat, Burnet, &c. and a Table shewing how the respective sentences were Executed, and which of them were Mitigated, or Pardon'd. London; printed for J. Brotherton and W. Meadows (etc.): 1720. To paraphrase the author's preface, nothing clears a man's mind so much as the knowledge that he will die in the morning. As he notes, this treatise is interesting as a study into the minds of condemned men in their last moments for the insight it gives us about them and how they faced their final moments, not the rightness of the cause for which they died, as both the Cavalier and Regicide go to their executions firmly believing they are about to be rewarded for the rightness of their cause. "But whatever else may be concluded from such Scenes as these, we easily discern from hence, how far natural Courage, Education, and a Familiarity with Dangers, or the Spirit of Enthusiasm, can carry a man". 5"x8", [iv] [xii] [iv] 495 [i] pages; several woodcut head and tailpieces.

Early American Poetry- Elegies and Epitaphs, 1677-1717. Boston; The Club of Odd Volumes:1896. Edition limited to 100 copies. Volume Four in the Club's series of studies of early American poetry. There is an introduction by James F. Hunnewell. The contents include three elegies and an epitaph by Cotton Mather, and an elegy on the Reverend Thomas Shepard, 1677, by the Reverend Urian Oakes, which was thought to be the earliest poem written and printed with its own title page in America. 7"x9", 16 + 46 pages; title page and other facsimiles; a beautifully designed and printed volume.

Eaton, Arthur Wentworth. Funny Epitaphs. Boston; The Mutual Book Company:1900. An early, humorous collection, gathered in England and America. 5.5"x8", 96 pages.

Ehl, Peter, Arno Parik & Jiri Fiedler. Old Bohemian and Moravian Jewish Cemeteries. Prague; Paseka: 1991. A poignant pictorial survey of the old, overgrown Jewish cemeteries of Bohemia and Moravia, with a descriptive listing of the Jewish communities, most of which were exterminated during the Holocaust, whose cemeteries are illustrated. Hardcover. 9"x11", 172 pages, b/w illustrations, dj

Eills, Nancy & Parker Hayden. Here Lies America. A Collection of Notable Graves. New York; Hawthorn Books: 1978. Ever wonder where and how Herman Melville was buried? How about Johnny Appleseed, Emily Dickinson, Lewis and/or Clark, Diamond Jim Brady, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Harry Houdini, Casey Jones, Edward Hopper, John Philip Sousa, or Babe Ruth? They are all here, along with many, many more! Softcover. 8.5"x11", 178 pages, filled with b/w illustrations.

Elizondo, Salvador, et al. La Muerte. Expresiones Mexicanas de un Enigma. Museo Universitario Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico: 1974. An intense and wide-ranging exhibition of symbols and art related to death in Pre-Columbian, Colonial, and present-day Mexico. Much of the symbolism is centered on the iconographic imagery of death as a skeleton or skull. There are several English essays and an introduction. Hardcover. 9"x10", 149 pages, b/w and color illustrations, dj.

Elliot, Huger. Memorial Art. Cambridge; Granite, Marble & Bronze:1923. Edition limited to 300 numbered copies. A series of articles first published in Granite, Marble and Bronze magazine, focusing on good taste in memorials of all types, including tombs, columns, stones, lettering, ornament, etc., over the centuries. The mandate of "good taste" gives the author much latitude and gives this work some depth as an historical survey, though not a comprehensive one. Above all, the author is distressed by the poor taste shown in some early 20th century memorial art- "Every kind of odd shape is used- real boulders, boulders imitated with the chisel, masses that suggest in miniature the boxes in which upright pianos are packed... a large marble figure (of the type one sees made of sugar and placed on wedding cakes) posing at one corner; the distorted imaginings of untrained minds following no precedents -striking out blindly in search of something new". No, Elliot Huger was not amused. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 172 pages with 13 text figures, plus 24 b/w plates.

Elliott, Paul B. (ed.). On the Field of Honor. A Collection of War Letters and Reminiscences of Three Harvard Undergraduates Who Gave Their Lives in the Great Cause. Boston; Printed for their Friends:1920. An elegant memorial volume for three Harvard-educated officers who died while serving in the infantry in World War One. 7"x10", 121 pages, plus 5 b&w plates.

Ellis, George E. Memoir of Jacob Bigelow, M.D., LL.D. Cambridge; John Wilson and Son: 1880. Reprinted from the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Dr. Jacob Bigelow [1786-1879] was a noted Boston physician, botanist, historian, and was the moving force behind the founding of Mount Auburn Cemetery as well as a President of the Cemetery Corporation and the author of a book on the Cemetery's early history. This memorial tribute includes material on Mount Auburn and Bigelow's work with the cemetery. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", 105 pages, frontispiece engraving of a marble bust of Bigelow as an ancient Roman.

Emerson, Joseph. An Extract from the Late Sermon On the Death of the Reverend Mr. Joseph Emerson, Who died very suddenly on Monday Evening July 13th, 1767, in the 68th Year of his Age. Delivered at Malden, by Joseph Emerson, A.M., Pastor of the Church at Pepperrell. Boston; Edes & Gill, for Bulkeley Emerson, of Newbury-Port:1767. A Eulogy by the son to the father, both ancestors of Ralph Waldo Emerson.DAB notes of the elder Joseph that he was an "industrious scholar who 'prayed every night that none of his descendants might ever be rich'". 4.5"x7", 21 pages.

[Engraving] Inner Ansicht einer den Katakomben von Syracus... [Burial Chamber in an ancient catacomb in Syracuse, Sicily]. Germany: late 18th century. Removed from an unknown publication; shows several workers lounging on a pile of freshly dug dirt while ladies and gentlemen examine the catacombs in the background. 3"x4.5" (sight).

Enright, D.J. (ed.). The Oxford Book of Death. New York; Oxford University Press:1983. 2nd ptg. A sweeping anthology covering mourning, graveyards, after-life, funerals, children, animals, epitaphs, and more! 5.5"x9", 352 pages, dj.

[Epitaphs] 1840 Scrapbook of Epitaph-related material. England; 1840s. A unique and interesting 1840 scrapbook of epitaph-related material, evidently put together by an early Victorian epitaph-enthusiast with wide resources and plenty of time on his hands. The clippings are arranged neatly in double columns, with hundreds of short and medium-length pieces clipped from newspapers, magazines and, regretfully, a few books as well; there are also some penned notes and handwritten sheets. Some of the material is dated in ink, and it appears that the earlier pieces date from the 1770s. There are many epitaphs, and some of the newspaper clippings include notes from readers who found the epitaphs; there are also several historical clippings regarding epitaphs. A fascinating and unique archive of ephemeral material recording epitaphs. Great fun. Hardcover. 7.5"x11", 77 leaves, most with clippings and pages glued to one side, some to both sides; handsome hand-lettered title page with two decorations; one, of a skull, appears to be hand-inked; period marbled boards with a newer leather spine with a black spine label. Engraved armorial bookplate dated 1880 of the Rev. Charles H. Middleton-Wake, of Christ's College. With -an index card indicating the book was purchased from noted English bookseller David Low on 8/6/54.

[Epitaphs] Leatherbound Manuscript Collection of Epitaphs. England, early 19th century. A fascinating collection of early epitaphs, dating from the 16th century to 1811 or so, all written in ink on both sides of the first 75 leaves of a handsomely bound (if now very worn) late 18th century leatherbound blank book. The handwriting can be a little hard to decipher, but most is legible. In many cases the compiler has included an introduction explaining the person or circumstance the epitaph relates to. A unique and interesting late-Georgian-Regency epitaph collector's notebook. Hardcover. 4.25"x7", about 75 leaves filled in on both sides; another 75 or so leaves are blank; late 18th or early 19th century full polished calf with a red leather spine label with the single word "Epitaphs" impressed in gilt.

Erichsen, Hugo. The Cremation of the Dead considered from an Aesthetic, Sanitary, Religious, Historical, Medico-Legal, and Economical Standpoint. Detroit; D.O. Haynes & Company:1887. Evidently the first American book on cremation practice, or at least the first of the "Advocacy Era" of the late 19th century, when cremation was being advocated as an acceptable practice and the modern cremation movement was first gathering steam. Erichsen was a leading figure in the American movement and a regular contributor to journals on the subject. This book includes illustrations of proposed facilities for Detroit and Cincinnati, as well as interior and exterior views of the Crematoriums at Lancaster, and Washington, PA. 5"x7.5", 264 pages, numerous interesting line illustrations.

Esdaile, Katharine A. English Church Monuments 1510-1840. New York; Oxford University Press:nd (1950s.) A study of memorial art in English churches of the 16-19th centuries, including tombs, tablets, busts, statues and placques. 6"x9", 144 pages, 149 b&w photographs and many line illustrations.

Etlin, Richard A. The Architecture of Death. The Transformation of the Cemetery in Eighteenth-Century Paris. Cambridge; MIT Press:1984. This book traces the pivotal changes which took place in the 18th and early 19th centuries which paved the way for the "Gardens of Rest" and rural cemeteries of the Regency and Victorian eras. These changes began when Society stopped viewing cemeteries as "charnel houses" with an "aura of decay", and leading thinkers and writers adopted pre-Romantic, "pantheistic celebration of Nature" attitudes. In Paris the rebirth of the cemetery was symbolized by the 1804 opening of The Cemetery of Pere Lachaise, which "radically altered the course of cemetery design and anticipated the 'rural cemetery' movement in America". This important study "traces these changes through six pivotal decades in the history of funerary architecture...drawing heavily on new materials and archival sources, supported by nearly 270 plans, photographs and drawings...". 7.5"x10", 441 pages, 268 b&w illustrations, dj.

Evening Prayers for the House of Mourning; with Thoughts on Death and Immortality. New York; Press of Philip Cowen: 1901. A selection of prayers and thoughts for Jewish mourners, with some Hebrew text. Hardcover. 4.5"x6.5", 46 pages.

Everett, Edward. Eulogy on Thomas Dowse, of Cambridgeport, pronounced before the Massachusetts Historical Society, 9th December, 1858, by Edward Everett. Boston; John Wilson and Son:1859. A eulogy by the greatest orator of the 19th century. Dowse gave the Society his fine and extensive Library; a report on the library is also included here. 6"x9.5", 82 pages, 3 engravings.

[Everett] A Memorial of Edward Everett, from the City of Boston. Boston; Printed by Order of the City Council: 1865. A complete account of the speeches, commemorations and funeral of statesman and orator Edward Everett. Includes details of the funeral, proceedings of the Legislature, Board of Trade, Massachusetts Historical Society, Thursday Evening Club, American Antiquarian Society, Harvard University, and many other groups of which he was a member or who wanted to pay tribute to him. Hardcover. 7"x10.5", 315 pages, portrait frontispiece.

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