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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Fairley, W. Epitaphiana: or, The Curiosities of Churchyard Literature. Being a Miscellaneous Collection of Epitaphs with an Introduction, giving an account of various customs prevailing amongst the ancients and moderns in the disposal of their dead. London; Samuel Tinsley: 1873. Wandering 'round old churchyards was a popular Victorian pursuit -this author was a mining engineer who collected epitaphs in his spare time. His Introduction, with its "account of various customs prevailing amongst the ancients and moderns in the disposal of their dead" is a rather wandering and singular affair, treating the pauper's cemetery in 1870s Naples with more detail than the Egyptian embalming and entombing of their dead, and ricocheting from the Roman catacombs to the modern German habit of inserting newspaper death notices; of particular interest are his mentioning of cremation, to which he devotes two entire sentences, and Sioux Indian tree burial, which he spends several interesting paragraphs describing. Hardcover. 5.25"x7.5", viii + 171 + 16 pages.

Farnsworth, Oliver. Memory of Washington: comprising a sketch of his Character; and the National Testimonials of Respect. also, a collection of Eulogies and Orations. Newport; Oliver Farnsworth: 1800. An early memorial volume, including memorial orations given at Burlington, NJ, and in Paris by Louis Fontanes. Hardcover. 4"x7", vi, 246, 6 page list of subscribers; frontispiece.

Fitzpatrick, Dr. John C. (ed.). The Last Will and Testament of George Washington and Schedule of his Property, to which is appended the Last Will and Testament of Martha Washington. Mount Vernon Ladies Association: 1939. The text of the will itself is fully and helpfully annotated, and there is, in addition, an introduction by Dr. Fitzpatrick discussing the Will and its history. Hardcover. 6"x9", 67 pages, illustration of Washington's crest.

Flavel, John. A Token for Mourners: or, The Advice of Christ to a Distressed Mother, bewailing the death of her dear and only Son... Salem; printed by Nathaniel Coverly, Jun.: 1802. Flavel was a 17th century English preacher, and his text was quite popular, going through a number of editions. Hardcover. 4"x7", 144 pages.

Flechier, Esprit & Jacques-Benigne Bossuet. Recueil des Oraisons Funebres de M. Flechier, et de M. Bossuet. Nismes; Chez Pierre Beaume: 1782. Corrected Edition. An important collection of the best 17th century French funeral orations by Esprit Flechier (1632-1710), Bishop of Nimes and Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) Bishop of Meaux. Flechier may be best remembered for his account of the "curious" Claremont Assizes of 1665, when Louis XIV brought his Auvergne nobles to heel, and which Flechier recorded for posterity. He was also a poet and historical author, but he was best known in his own time for his funeral orations which have been described as ingenious and often even witty. Bossuet, a child prodigy and an extremely important theological writer and theorist, was also simply the best orator in 17th century France, and he created the form of the "Orasion Funebres" of which he was undisputed master, not even rivaled by Flechier. Hardcover. 5"x8", cxxxvi + 209 + 321 [2] pages, with several nice decorated head and tailpieces.

Fleming, Stuart, et al. The Egyptian Mummy. Secrets and Science. Philadelphia; University Museum, University of Pennsylvania:1980. A technical and historic study of mummification in ancient Egypt. 8.5"x11", 92 pages, many b&w and several color illustrations, softcover.

Florentin, P. Album de Dessins en Cheveux. Paris; P. Florentin: nd: (ca. 1876). A fantastic pattern book of jewelry and other designs made from hair. The designs include many mourning pieces, pins, monogram vignettes, floral vignettes, and several pages of bracelets and other braided objects of hair, with golden highlights. There are many memorial vignettes that do not seem to include hair, but are very period and interesting nonetheless. Florentin describes himself on the title page as a "Professeur de Dessins en Cheveux". The Victorians had a thing for hair, but it is rare to find a pattern book or trade catalog devoted to these items. 11"x13.5", lithographed plates numbered 1-11 (titlepage numbered plate 1), 2-7, 1-2, [1]; 2 plates with gold highlighting.

Florin, Lambert. Boot Hill. Historic Graves of the Old West. Seattle; Superior Publishing Co.:1966. The author/photographer of several popular books on Western ghost towns turns his eyes and camera to 19th century Western cemeteries and grave markers. 8.5"x11", 192 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Florin, Lambert. Tales the Western Tombstones Tell. Historic Graves of the Old West. New York; Bonanza Books:1960s. A fascinating and sometimes sobering book. Nothing brings home the fleeting nature of our memories like the photograph of a wind-eaten wooden gravestone from which all the lettering has been erased by the years. 8.5"x11", 192 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Florist's Exchange. Floral Designs De Luxe. New York:1930. 9th edition. A wide variety of fancy florist's arrangements, including an extended section of funereal designs, including memorial wreaths, funeral baskets, sprays, and casket cover arrangements. 9.5"x12", 176 pages, b&w and several color illustrations.

[Folk Art Mourning Card] A very large and elaborate embossed Victorian mourning card with folk art additions. England; H. Burgees, printer: 1861. A visually stunning piece of Victorian melodrama. This is a typical large card meant for wall display, with white embossed designs on a black background. The principal design is in the shape of a Gothic-Revival church with elaborate decorations, a central window and an urn; within this there is the usual smaller "mourning card" area, with a woman weeping, leaning against a plinth on which a coffin rests; there are willow trees in the background, and an angel comforts her from the other side of the plinth. The printed portion (the plinth itself) states- "In Remembrance of George Burgess, Who was Accidentally Drowned, while Bathing at Bristol, Rhode Island, North America, July 8th, 1861, Aged Seven Years & Seven Months." This is followed by a verse. This is pretty nice already - an American decedent, and a child at that, make this an interesting example. But it gets better. The card has several folk art touches- at the tip of each steeple, against the black background, two multi-colored, naked cherubs fly through the air, holding flowering morning glory vines. At the base of the card, and again along the base of the plinth, there is a very finely cut line of green paper "grass". A very handsome and striking piece, mounted in a period wood frame with a gold-painted surround under the glass. 13"x15" (frame); 8"x10.5" (sight) -not removed.

Forbes, Harriette M. Gravestones of Early New England And the Men who made them, 1653-1800. Boston; Houghton Mifflin: 1927. Edition limited to 780 copies. Not only a study of gravestone design, but also of the craft of the 17th and 18th century stoneworker, with much information about individuals who lived and worked in New England. "An important study containing whole chapters on such important stonecutters as the Lamsons of Charlestown and the Fosters of Dorchester. An appendix lists alphabetically the New England stonecutters working before 1800" (Garrett & Garrett). Hardcover. 7.5"x10.5", 141 pages, plus numerous b/w plates.

Forbes, Harriette M. Gravestones of Early New England And the Men who made them, 1653-1800. New York; Da Capo Press:1967. A reissue of the 1927 limited edition.  7.5"x10.5", 141 pages, plus numerous b&w plates, dj.

Forbes, Harriette M. William Mumford, Stone Cutter. [contained in] Old=Time New England, Bulletin of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, January, 1926. An account of one of the earliest-recorded gravestone carvers in New England, who worked in the late 17th century and died in 1718. Using probate and other records Forbes was also able to identify and photograph some of the stones Mumford (probably) carved. Softcover. 6"x9", article- pp.138-149, with 16 b/w illustrations.

[Forbes, Patrick] Funerals of a Right Reverend Father in God. Patrick Forbes of Corse, Bishop of Aberdene... Aberdene; Imprinted by Edward Raban: 1635. A very interesting compilation of funeral sermons, eulogies and related materials relating to the life and death of Patrick Forbes (1564-1635), Bishop of Aberdeen. Of great interest as a record of 17th century funereal literature. Scarce. Hardcover. 5.75"x7.5, [viii] [viii] 429 pages. Several woodcut head and tailpiece decorative devices.

Foxcroft, Frank. Mount Auburn. New England Magazine (?) nd; 1896. An article, evidently from New England Magazine, featuring the history and a tour in words and photos of the highlights of Mount Auburn Cemetery. 6.5"x9.5", 19 pages, b&w illustrations.

Frank, Robin Jaffee. Love and Loss. American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures. New Haven; Yale University Press: 2000. The beautifully produced catalog to the traveling loan exhibition of portrait miniatures assembled by the Yale University Art Gallery. Frank not only explores the role of portrait miniatures in American life, but also in American death, as her extended essay "Not Lost but Gone Before" chronicles the uses and symbolism of mourning miniatures. Other chapters cover the role miniatures played in society, the miniaturists who created these tiny jewels, and the competition between miniatures and photography. The catalog features brilliant color photographs and many enlargements of details. Hardcover. 5.5"x7", 358 pages, many color and b/w illustrations, dj.

Franklyn, Julian. Brasses. London; Arco Publications: 1969. 2nd edition. A good general introduction to the study and appreciation of monumental brasses but not, as the author is at great pains to point out in his witty introductory notes, a guide meant to encourage the making of brass rubbings, a hobby for which he has several sharp words. Hardcover. 5.5"x9", 171 pages, b/w illustrations, colored frontispiece, dj.

Freeman, Larry. Funerary Art. The American Life Collector's Annual, No. 10. Watkins Glen; American Life Foundation: 1970. As is usual with most of Freeman's books, this is a charming, somewhat meandering, not overly-organised ramble, with illustrations from a wide variety of sources. The text and photos touch on gravestones, epitaphs, death masks, hearses, Presidential tombs, flowers & wreathes, funeral music, garden cemeteries, Queen Victoria's funeral, mourning garb... get the idea by now? A marvelous hodge-podge of this and that. This was the last of the "Collector's Annuals". Hardcover. 7.5"x11", 120 pages, loaded with b/w illustrations.

Friswell, Richard. Faces in Stone. The Early American Gravestone as Primitive Art. Belmont; Richard Friswell: 1971. An enthusiastic early guide, self-published by an amateur. Contains no intensely original insights, but an interesting overview of history, symbolism, etc. Features quirky use of psuedo-18th century typefaces and some rather original spelling (devine?). Softcover. 5.5"x8.5", 19 pages, line illustrations.

Frobisher, [Nathaniel]. Frobisher's New Select Collection of Epitaphs; Humorous, Whimsical, Moral & Satyrical London; Printed for Nath'l Frobisher, in the Pavement, York: no date (1790). A pleasant, well-chosen selection of mostly 17th and 18th century epitaphs, indexed by name and by the first line of each epitaph. The title page contains a pleasing vignette of a mourner in a churchyard by moonlight. Not a common work, with only 9 OCLC listings. Hardcover. 4.5"x7", 216 pages, title-page vignette.

Funeral Biscuit wrappers. A pair of wrappers. Clitheroe; Whewell, printer:1854 and James Fielding, printer:1855. A pair of large wrappers, one for Richard Slater, who died in 1854 aged 87, and the other for his wife Martha, who died in 1855 aged 86. Both designs feature smorgasbord decorative borders, with a wide array of printer's ornaments thrown in to make a whole; one is set up like a mantelpiece, with a variety of urns and willow-like epergnes on the top; the other is topped by a park scene with an urn on a base, surrounded by willows. Both feature poems and the imprints of the bakers, Elizabeth Parker and Mary Hayhurst. 2 sheets. 8.5"x11".

Funeral Ceremony of the Improved Order of Red Men as revised by the Great Council of the United States, also Forms of Dedication and Laying Corner Stones of Wigwams. Camden; Stevens & Morgan, printers:1890. An interesting fraternal funeral ceremony. 4.5"x6.5", 28 pages, blindstamped Indian on the rear cover.

Funeral Flowers. Album of Designs Chicago; Florists' Publishing Company: no date (1930s). A nice album of designs for funereal arrangements, from standard baskets, sprays and such to specialty designs such as pillows, hearts, open Bibles, crosses, broken wheels, anchors, lyres, etc. There are several arrangements for children, some "vacant chair" designs, and many designs for fraternal societies and the armed forces. Softcover. 9"x12", 96 pages, b/w illustrations.

Funeral Processions in Boston, 1770-1800. An article appearing in The Bostonian Society Publications, Vol. 4. Boston; 1907. Includes detailed narratives of the funeral processions for the victims of the Boston Massacre, as well as for John Hancock and George Washington. Hardcover. 6"x9.5", (article) 22 pages, with transcriptions of broadsides and title pages.

G. Cassani & J. Straggiotti. An Album of 36 original designs for gravestones and cemetery sculpture. Switzerland: ca. 1923. The designs were executed in pen and ink on white paper and were then cut out and pasted onto the black album pages. The overall feeling is very reminiscent of the work of Edward Gorey. Also included are 50+ b&w photographs, mounted and loose, of the firm's work, some in situ (multiple copies of some photos). Also- a folding plan for a gravesite sculpture; two pen and ink drawings of gravesites on white paper, folded.

Garfield Memorial. Sorrow of the People of Buenos Ayres for the Death of General James A. Garfield, Late President of the United States of America. Buenos Ayres; printed by order of Committee:1881. A former Union General in the Civil War, President Garfield was assassinated by a lunatic, but suffered for some months before succumbing to his wounds. This very interesting pamphlet expresses the sorrow of the American community in Buenos Ayres, and describes the receipt of the news, memorial services, speeches, etc. Softcover. 6.5"x10", 39 pages.

[Garfield, James A.] James A. Garfield. Memorial Address pronounced in the Hall of Representatives, February 27, 1882, before the Departments of the Government of the United States, by James G. Blaine, in response to an invitation from the two House of Congress. Washington; Government Printing Office: 1882. The official address delivered to Congress. Garfield was a Civil War hero; elevated to the presidency at the age of just 49, he was assassinated within a few months of entering office. 8"x12", 87 pages, portrait frontispiece; elaborately decorated covers in gilt and black stamping on green.

Gargiulo, Raffaele. Cenni sulla Maniera di Rinvenire I Vasi Fittili Italo-Greci sulla loro costrzione, sulle loro fabriche piu distinte e sulla progressione e decadimento dellarte vasaria. Napoli; Dala Tipografia Virgilio:1843. 2nd edition. An early study of antique Roman and Greek vases for collectors of the time, perhaps, as Solon suggests, somewhat deficient from the scholarly standpoint, but of real and engaging interest to the 20th century collector as a token of the collecting craze of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The engraved plates illustrate vase forms, decorating patterns, kiln designs and a packed kiln ready for firing, an ancient potter at his wheel, and, of macabre interest, a plate depicting exactly how vases were collected in those days: at the top is a scene with a dandy gentleman standing in a field beside an illicitly opened stone crypt, complete with the bones of its owner, encouraging a trio of grave robbers in their work of looting the crypt of vases, several of which rest at his feet and one of which he holds; also illustrated are six more stone crypts, all identified by locality, all broken open, all containing skeletons, and also the vases which collectors prized. 8.5"x11.5", 40 pages plus 16 engraved plates.

Gay, John & Felix Barker. Highgate Cemetery. Victorian Valhalla. Salem House: 1984. "Highgate Cemetery, clinging to the southern slope of Highgate Hill, looks out across London to the Epsom Downs in the distance. It is one of the great cemeteries of the world (to those who know it, one of the Wonders) but in many ways it is also one of the most secret. A maze of rising terraces, winding paths, tombs and catacombs, it is a monument to the Victorian age and the Victorian attitude to death. Containing some of the most celebrated -and most eccentric- funerary architecture to be found anywhere, it has also, as nature has gradually taken over, become a wild-life reserve near the center of London. Now after many years of neglect, the cemetery is being lovingly restored, the dense foliage cut back, nature brought under control and its treasures revealed. In 'Highgate Cemetery: Victorian Valhalla' the London historian Felix Barker tells fully and for the first time the story of this burial ground. But, above all, the book contains a unique pictorial record of its moods and monuments caught over the last twenty years by John Gay whose photographs superbly and evocatively convey the spirit of the place". Softcover. 7"x9.5", 111 pages, b/w illustrations.

[George II] Several sections of the Royal Magazine for November, 1760, relating to the death and funeral of George II. This includes pp 225-232 which include a description of the Royal Tomb at Westminster Abbey, designed by Henry VII, with a folding plate of the tomb; pp.265-280, which include verses written to commemorate the King, an account of the autopsy, and an account of the funeral procession, with a chart showing its order. 5"x8, two sections, disbound, and a folding plate.

Gerhard, Odorado. Pitture Tarquiniensi. Rome:1831. An offprint from the Instituto di corrispondenza archeologica Annual:1831. A monograph on the elaborately carved Etruscan tombs at Tarquinia, with two large folding plates illustrating the decorative carved designs. 6"x9", 52 pages, 2 folding plates.

Gibson, James. Inscriptions on the Tombstones and Monuments erected in memory of the Covenanters, with Historical Introduction and Notes. Glasgow; Dunn & Wright: 1879. Epitaphs and History at the same time- in 1660 the English Monarchy was restored as Charles II came to the throne. He immediately began to attempt to suppress the Presbyterian church and Covenant in Scotland, and thus began a 28-year odyssey of war and strife. This text includes both descriptions of the stones and their inscriptions as well as short biographies of the dead Covenanters and some background into the events in the localities where they are buried. A slice of Scottish history served on a cold slab of slate. Hardcover. 5"x7", vi, 291 pages, + 16 page book catalog; 5 b/w plates; decorative head and tailpieces and initial letters.

Giesey, Ralph E. The Royal Funeral Ceremony in Renaissance France. Geneve; Librairie E. Droz:1960. A study of the ceremony and rituals and their relation to tradition and political issues. 8"x10.5", 233 pages, plus 18 b&w illustrations, softcover.

Gillon, Edmund V. Jr. Early New England Gravestone Rubbings. New York; Dover Publications: 1966. A pictorial survey of early New England gravestones in rubbings and photographs. Softcover. 8.5"x11", 26 pages of text plus 195 b/w plates.

Gillon, Edmund V. Jr. Victorian Cemetery Art. New York; Dover Publications: 1972. An original compilation of photographs taken by Gillon, with a good introductory essay. The photographs include views from both well-known and lesser-known cemeteries. Softcover. 8"x11", 173 pages, 260 b/w illustrations.

Goldsmid, Edmund. A Collection of Epitaphs and Inscriptions interesting either from historical associations or quaintness of wording. Edinburgh; Privately Printed: 1885 (and) 1886. One of 75 large paper copies. There was also an edition of 275 small paper copies. The first volume also includes a transcription of a 1598 description of the tombs at Westminster Abbey. Softcover. 2 volumes. 5.5"x9", 54 + 48 pages, original buff printed softcovers. Title pages printed in red and black.

Goodman, Fred. The Secret City. Woodlawn Cemetery and the Buried History of New York. New York; Broadway Books: 2004. "Woodlawn Cemetery is a massive necropolis of 400 immaculately and privately maintained acres in the north Bronx that serves as the final resting place for 300,000 New Yorkers. It is a place of startling serenity and architectural distinction that remains largely unvisited despite the fact that its long-term inhabitants include Herman Melville, Duke Ellington, Robert Moses, Fiorello La Guardia, Miles Davis, and dozens of Gilded Age grandees -including Goulds and Astors- who were determined to spend eternity with opulence to match their residences while alive. Former Rolling Stone editor Fred Goodman stumbled upon it one day when he wandered off his bicycling path. This book is the product of his obsessive researches into the lives of many of the once famed, now forgotten men and women buried there. Featuring nine dramatic episodes, chronologically arranged, each story presents an exceptional individual- readers meet phrenologist and publisher Orson Fowler, ASPCA founder Henry Bergh, Gilded Age railroad magnate Austin Corbin, political satirist Finley Peter Dunne, 'Boy Mayor' John Purroy Mitchel, attorney Francis Garvan, sculptor Attilio Piccirilli, Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen, leftist East Harlem Congressman Vito Marcantonio, and pioneering aviatrix Ruth Nichols. Framing and tying together these tales is the first-person narrative of the author's discovery of Woodlawn and his research, demystifying a city whose fabulous history is too often interred with its inhabitants". Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", b/w illustrations, dj.

Gordon, Arthur E. Quintus Veranius, Consul A.D. 49. A Study Based upon His Recently Identified Sepulchral Inscription. Berkeley; University of California Press:1952. An offprint from the Classical Archeology journal. The ancient sepulchral tablet is examined and illustrated in great detail. 6.5"x10.5", 121 pages plus 7 b&w plates, softcover.

Graham, William. A Collection of Epitaphs and Monumental Inscriptions, ancient and modern. With an emblematical frontispiece. Carlisle; Printed for the Author: 1821. Graham was a land surveyor who had "always derived a particular pleasure from a walk among the tombs". A second edition was published in 1823. Hardcover. 4.5"x7", 320 pages, engraved frontispiece of Lanercost Priory, Cumberland.

[Gravestone design] A striking original watercolor design for a funeral monument. New York; ca. 1880-90?. A wonderful pencil and watercolor rendering of a design for a funeral monument, consisting of a solid, square pediment with an inset plaque of angels and clouds, atop which is an open book resting against a scrollwork. The design is delicately executed in grays and whites, with small blue flowers along the base and a blue sky in the background. Signed "N. Swezey, N.Y.". A striking piece. 1 sheet. 15.5"x20"; pencil and watercolor on thick paper.

[Gravestone designs] A pair of 19th century proposals for children's gravestones. New York and Spain, both 1876. An interesting pair of proposals for children's gravestones. The first sheet is on the printed stationary of the A. Klaber Steam Marble Works and is dated July 22nd, 1876. The handwritten notes explain the design and cost for a marble gravestone with an angel and sleeping child in two sizes for either $160 or $185. The second sheet is entirely handwritten on thin blue graph paper; there is a very rough sketch of a gravestone at the top followed by an extremely detailed proposal (in Spanish). Dated March 24th, 1876. 2 sheets. The first is 8"x10.5", the second is 5"x10.5".

[Gravestone Design] New England, ca.1834. An interesting ink design of a tombstone, drawn carefully, a square stone on a 2-tier plinth, with a large central point and two smaller points to the right and left. The text reads in full- "Here - lies the body of - Rev. Samuel Porter Williams - Born in - Wethersfield, Conn. Feb. 22, 1779; - Graduated at Yale College 1796; - Ordained in Mansfield Conn. Jan. 1, 1807; - Removed from Mansfield, - Sept. 7, 1817; - Installed over the - First Presbyterian Church, - Newburyport, Feb. 8, 1821; - Obit. Dec. 23, 1826. - His ancestors were the people of God; - Let his descendants seek - no other lot. - He was a preacher of the Gospel; - Let his hearers - If they would honour him, - Obey that Gospel; - And 'if in life he tried in vain to save - O, let them hear him preaching from the grave' - Newburyport, May 14, 1834". Single sheet. 7.25"x9". Ink on paper.

[Gravestone receipt] np: 1809. An interesting early handwritten gravestone receipt- "Mr. Meserk(?) to Johnson & Stevens "" one pair grave stones $7.22 ; "" one pair grave stone $6.86 ; "" fetch in(?) grave stone .75 ; Received the above in full $15.83 ; August 21st, 1809 Johnson & Stevens". 7.5"x4".

[Grave Robbing] "Tear Down the College!" [contained in] The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, April, 1969. The text of a letter from a student at Yale Medical School about an incident in January, 1823. A body was discovered to have been stolen from a local graveyard and it was found, after a search, in the Medical School's basement. An outraged mob of several hundred citizens then tried to torch Yale Medical School and battled local militia for two nights running. An interesting short lesson in how locals sometimes viewed the theft of corpses for medical uses. Softcover. 6"x9", article- pp.50-52, 1 b/w illustration.

Gray, Thomas. Elegy Written in A Country Church-Yard. Boston; Moses A. Dow: nd (1852). A fine memorial edition of Gray's famous poem, published in honor of the death of Daniel Webster in October. Not only was Gray's "Elegy" said to have been Webster's favorite poem, but he also called for several verses to be read to him the night he died. The prefatory text to this volume includes both tributes to Webster and Gray's poem. The poem itself is handsomely illustrated with wood-engraved vignettes and printed on only one side of each page bordered, as is the rest of the text, with wide margins and a leafy decorative border. The binding is also a handsome example of Victorian bookmaking, with elaborate leafy and swirly designs gilt-stamped onto the royal-blue cloth. The frontispiece is an engraved portrait of Webster by Cheney & Dobson after a painting by Staigg. A handsome memorial volume for the great American statesman. 8"x10.5", xii + 32 pages with wood-engraved vignettes, + [8] pages.

Gray, Thomas. Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard. New York; The Heritage Press: 1951. "Beneath those rugged elms,- that yew tree's shade, - Where heaves the turf in - many a mould'ring heap, - Each in his narrow - cell for ever laid, - The rude Forefathers - of the hamlet sleep". A nicely printed, beautifully illustrated edition of this famous poem, with an introduction by Hugh Walpole and illustrated with reproductions of wood engravings by Agnes Miller Parker, which were from sketches made in the churchyard in question at Stokes Poges. Hardcover. 6.5"x10", 92 pages, many b/w illustrations.

Greaves, John. Pyramidographia: or, a Description of the Pyramids in Egypt. London; printed for John Brindley:1736. 2nd edition. The first reliable study of the pyramids. Greaves was a mathematician, was interested in Orientalism, and was a Professor of Astronomy at Oxford; he traveled to Egypt in 1638-39, and published the first edition of this work in 1646. Curl notes that it is "the first objective and truly thorough work on the pyramids. The drawings and measurements are generally reliable, and Pyramidographia stands out by virtue of its unsensational and cool descriptions. Greaves had actually been inside the Great Pyramid with Burattini, and his sectional drawing of the pyramid is based on notes he made on site". Greaves agreed with earlier authors who correctly identified the pyramids as burial chambers, scornfully dismissing reports that they were granaries, and he embarks on a very interesting and detailed discussion of Egyptian funeral and embalming practices and customs. Greaves also managed to identify the builders of the first three pyramids, including Cheops. Greaves' work, with its clear line engravings, clear and interesting text, decorated initial letters and head and tailpieces, is a charming and lovely book. 5"x8", title page with a woodcut device, + ix pages, with a woodcut head and tailpiece, + 164 pages with decorative head and tailpieces and initial letters; + 7 engraved plates.

Green, Kensal. Premature Epitaphs. Mostly Written in Malice. London; Cecil Palmer: 1927. An interesting idea -epitaphs written for famous but (then) not-yet-dead figures. "Professor Einstein - Here Einstein lies; At least, they laid his bier; Just hereabouts -; Or relatively here". Hardcover. 5"x7.5", 63 pages.

Green, Samuel A. Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Groton Massachusetts. With Notes and an Appendix. Boston; Little, Brown & Company: 1878. The burying ground in Groton was begun in 1680. An unusually thorough study. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.25", xix + 271 pages, b/w frontispiece and several b/w plates.

Greenwood Cemetery. np; nd (New York, ca. 1910). A charming little accordion-fold folder of views of the monuments at Mount Auburn. Inside the rear cover there is an advertisement for "Green Wood Carriage Service -carriages leave the stand inside of gate near the Northern Entrance...the drivers show and explain all of the monuments, etc... 25 cents." 5"x3.5", 16 folding b&w plates, in elaborately blind-stamped covers.

Greenwood, F.W.P. Sermons of Consolation. Boston; William D. Ticknor & Company:1847. 3rd edition. Greenwood was a Doctor of Divinity at Boston's King's Chapel. His interesting collection offers a window into the religious aspects of Victorian attitudes toward death. 4.75"x7.25", viii + 357 pages, plus 12 pages of advertisements.

Griffin, John. A Child's Memorial, exhibiting the early piety and happy death of Miss Dinah Doudney, of Portsea, England, Delivered to a large Congregation of Children, on New Year's Day, 1805. np; nd, but quite probably Portsea: 1805. Interesting as it is not only the memorial for a child, but was written for and delivered to an audience of children. 4.25"x7", 24 pages; original sewn paper wraps.

H.F. Wendell & Co. Catalogue of Fine Memorial Goods. Leipsic, Ohio:nd (ca. 1901). A trade catalog of memorial cards, index card-sized printed keepsakes, illustrated with an appropriate mourning scene, and printed with the name of the deceased. A dozen styles are illustrated and described, and there is also a selection of verses which can be added. 5"x7" (folded), 14"x21" (unfolded).

Habenstein, Robert W. & William M. Lamers. Funeral Customs the World Over. Milwaukee; Bulfin Printers: 1960. An exhaustive survey sponsored by the National Funeral Directors Association to add to the knowledge of the field. The authors roamed (in spirit, as it were) the world, from Asia and the Middle East to Africa, Europe, Latin America, Canada and the United States, country by country, religion by religion, sect by sect or tribe, surveying traditional funeral practices. Includes details on the traditions regarding preparation of the body and post-death practices and ceremonies, mourning rituals and customs, funeral arrangements and burial ceremonies and memorials. The final section gives separate histories of the state Funeral Director Associations for the United States. The result is a fascinating, thick, lethally heavy book. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", xii + 973 pages, b/w illustrations, dj.

Habenstein, Robert W. & William M. Lamers. The History of American Funeral Directing. National Funeral Directors Association:1955. The first 194 pages are actually devoted to ancient, Medieval and 18th century English burial and mortuary practices; the next 200+ pages describe early American customs and practices, and also coffins, embalming, transportation, late 19th century funerals, etc. The last 100 pages are a history of the modern funeral and funeral associations. 5.5"x8.5", 636 pages, b&w illustrations.

Hackett, John. Select and Remarkable Epitaphs on Illustrious and Other Persons, in Several Parts of Europe, with Translations of such as are in Latin and Foreign Languages. And Compendious Accounts of the Deceased, Their Lives and Works. London; Printed for T. Osborne and J. Shipton, in Gray's Inn: 1757. One of the early English compilations. In his dedication to James Bruce, Hackett notes that this collection of epitaphs was "the Fruits of leisure Hours, when, somewhat grave, and sensible of a Deficiency in that Part of a Man's Cloathing that has so great a Sympathy with the Animal Spirits, I have left Mirth for the Church-Yard, and deserted Folks all alive and merry, for a pensive Hour with the Dead". Hardcover. 2 volumes. 4.25"x7", [ii], 288; 245, [xxi] pages. Volume 1 with an engraved frontispiece showing the interior of a crypt with an open coffin, several skeletons, Muses, cherubs, etc.

Hall, Alonzo C. Grave Humor. A Collection of Humorous Epitaphs. Charlotte; McNally of Charlotte: 1961. The author, a professor at the University of North Carolina, spent 40 years wandering around old graveyards looking for odd or humorous tombstone inscriptions. The clever line illustrations are by Dave Morash. Hardcover. 5"x8.5", 102 pages, line illustrations, dj.

Hare, Augustus J.C. Epitaphs for Country Churchyards. Oxford; John Henry and James Parker: 1856. Hare was from University College, Oxford. In his preface he relates that- "In a recent tour on the Wye and among the villages of Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, I have often stopped to examine the Epitaphs in the churchyards. It is sad to see how unsuitable, how almost ludicrous, many of them are. It is not only that they are devoid of beauty, but that they are calculated to drag down the minds of the survivors; chaining them to the recollection of the sufferings which their departed friends endured in their lifetime, harrowing them by the repetition, and in the end holding no lesson to be learnt, no comfort to look to, no hope of rest in another world. The chief variety upon these inscriptions is usually a catalogue of the virtues of the deceased, which would belong rather to heathen morality than to Christian humility". This is an instructive book to enable the reader to write their own epitaph, free of the pitfalls Hare denounces. Hardcover. 4.5"x6.5", x + 62 pages.

Harris, Virgil M. Ancient, Curious and Famous Wills. Boston; Little, Brown, and Company: 1911. "The subject of Wills is not so prosaic as might be supposed; in fact, there are few subjects of more general interest. Wills reflect, as a mirror, the customs and habits of the times when written, as well as the characters of the writers". There are chapters included on- Ancient Wills; Wills in Fiction and Poetry; Curious Wills; Wills of Famous Foreigners; and Wills of Famous Americans... and more! Hardcover. 6"x9", xiii + 472 pages.

Harris, William Thaddeus. Epitaphs from the Old Burying-Ground in Cambridge. Cambridge; John Owen: 1845. An early study of the gravestones of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Already, in 1845, the author complained that the old graveyards were falling into neglect, with many 17th century stones fallen over or broken. Hardcover. 5"x8", 192 pages.

Hartman, J.F. Monologues, Epigrams, Epitaphs and Parodies. New York; Sully and Kleinteich: 1910. Although the bulk of this book is devoted to monologues, parodies and epigrams, there is an interesting short section of "burlesque epitaphs". Actually the book is worth buying for the cover alone, which shows a bulldog laughing at a humorous gravestone under a willow tree.Hardcover. 5"x7", 160 pages, several line illustrations.

Hartmann, Franz. Buried Alive. An examination into The Occult Causes of Apparent Death, Trance and Catalepsy. Boston; Occult Publishing Co.:1895. Although evidently published by occultists, this slim book holds much of interests for students of Victorian funeral customs. The possibility of premature burial held a special terror for the Victorian mind, and inventors came up with a variety of gadgets designed to prevent it, ranging from coffins with vents, to bells and whistles that could be triggered by the "corpse" once it revived and found itself buried. These fears fed upon anecdotal evidence, much of it the type that fills this book. Story follows story of persons believed to be deceased who subsequently recovered. Unfortunately, in the absence of names, dates and identified witnesses we cannot really analyze the accuracy of these stories, but they doubtless confirmed many people's worst fears. The text also touches on the "occult causes" of such deaths, talks of flying souls and the like, but this may be ignored if the reader is so inclined; if not, it simply adds to the periodicity of the piece.5.5"x8", 147 pages.

Haslewood, Rev. Francis. The Monumental Inscriptions in the Parish of Saint Matthew, Ipswich, Suffolk. (Ipswich): Privately Printed: 1884. "To be had only of the author". "Being often detained at the Church (Rev. Haslewood) began to employ the leisure time in copying the Epitaphs, as circumstances permitted; and when the weather was unfavourable for such employment, verified the inscriptions by reference to the Parish Registers". Hardcover. 5.5"x8", xxii + 349 pages; b/w frontispiece; folding plan.

[Havermeyer] In Memoriam. William Frederick Havemeyer, Mayor of New York City. New York; Privately printed:1881. An impressive memorial album, illustrated with 19 albumen prints illustrating the floral tributes sent to the funeral, and one of the memorial. An interesting contemporaneous record of Victorian funereal floral arrangements. 9.5"x11", 75 pages plus 2 portraits and 20 mounted albumen photographic prints on stiff leaves with paper guards; bound in full pebbled leather with gilt lettering.

Haweis, Rev. H.R. Ashes to Ashes. A Cremation Prelude. London; Daldy, Isbister & Co.:1875. A Victorian clergyman advocates cremation in this novel-like discourse. Haweis was one of the founders of the Cremation Society of England in 1874 (see Thompson, "Modern Cremation").The author's ghastly experience in a sea-side graveyard (after a storm has opened some graves) makes him listen more closely to a friend who has done much reading and research on the subject of cremation. This is cremation approached in a strictly Victorian way: plenty of facts and figures, with many horrible tales of graveyard goings-on, but always put very politely and phrased genteely, in the best taste -a combination which strikes one today as just a bit weird. An emphatic piece of Victoriana, published at a time when cremation was still a radical, ghastly, potentially illegal, idea. The first English crematorium was not opened until 1885. 5"x7.5",260 pages, no illustrations (thank God).

Henderson, John A. Aberdeenshire Epitaphs and Inscriptions: with Historical, Biographical, Genealogical, and Antiquarian Notes. Aberdeen; Printed for the subscribers: 1907. Edition limited to 250 copies. Hardcover. 8"x10", x + 555 pages, plus 9 full-page b/w plates and 6 b/w illustrations in the text.

Herman, Jan. Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia. Prague; Council of Jewish Communities in the CSR: 1960s. A pictorial survey of some of the 350 surviving Jewish cemeteries in Moravia and Bohemia, with an interesting essay on their history and significance, and an annotated list of the surviving cemeteries. At the time this was written such cemeteries were a thing of the past- after the Nazi invasion they had been abandoned and during the Socialist Republic they were not re-opened. Many of them were overgrown and dilapidated when this book was written. Hardcover. 9.5"x12", 32 pages plus 163 b/w illustrations and a folding map; dj.

Hesterberg, William. A Frail Memorial. Being selections from the writings and engravings of Thomas Bewick, Selected by William Hesterberg. Chicago; The Cherryburn Press:1975. Edition limited to 100 copies printed at the press on calendered paper. Bewick "was fascinated not only with death but with the impermanence and inevitable decay of grave stones, and in his writings referred to them as 'frail memorials'. Public monuments of a more lasting nature were envisioned by Bewick as a tribute to those of 'departed worth'. The large bare rock formations in the English countryside presented to his original imagination an ideal surface for the inscription of worthy sentiments and distinguished mens names... Although no inscriptions on rock were ever attempted by Bewick, he utilized the concept in his vignettes to point up a moral or express a point of view". This interesting little study illustrates a number of Bewick's "envisioned" memorial vignettes, and also reprints an excerpt from Iain Bain's introduction to his 1975 edition of Bewick's Memoir, on the subject of Bewick's fascination with death. 6.25"x9", 47 pages, 15 vignettes reproduced from the Memorial edition, plus a tipped-in b&w illustration of Bewick's own memorial stone, as well as a laid-in portrait of Bewick and a mounted Bewick vignette on Troy paper, pulled from a block in the author's possession.

History of Antietam National Cemetery, including a descriptive list of all the loyal soldiers buried therein: together with the ceremonies and address on the occasion of the dedication of the grounds, September 17th, 1867. Baltimore; John Woods: 1869. I was going to say something like "dedication of the cemetery on the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War" but they were almost all this bloody... Illustrated with 2 albumen photographs, one illustrating the "View of Sharpsburg Hill from the Cemetery" and the other the "View of the Lodge House from North-Eastern Position". There is also a folding map in a rear pocket.   6"x9", 202 pages, 2 albumen photographs and a folding map.

A History of the Proceedings in the City of New Orleans, on the Occasion of the Funeral Ceremonies in honor of Calhoun, Clay and Webster which took place on Thrusday, December 9th, 1852. New Orleans; printed at the office of the Picayune:1853. An interesting memorial piece, commemorating a "triple-header" staged by the city of New Orleans. Daniel Webster died on October 24th, 1852, and the city of New Orleans decided that not only did the great statesman deserve a memorial service, but that as long as they were doing it, they had sadly neglected their duties towards Calhoun and Clay, and might as well do all three at once. The text includes the three memorial orations, a history of the planning of the ceremonies, a listing of the funeral parade by division, and a detailed description of the day's festivities. 5.5"x8.5", 104 pages, 2 wood-engraved plates, one showing the cenotaph designed by Mondeli, the other the funeral carriage.

Hoare, Edward. Manuscript "Note-Book, containing Epitaphs, taken from the tombs of various Churchyards, Cemeteries, &c, &c, &c. Cork (?); 1840. A very interesting manuscript pocket note book transcribing epitaphs from cemeteries in Ireland. The churches all appear to be identified, although the hand is spidery and at times difficult to read. A pencil note inside the front cover attributes the writer to Cork, Ireland. Softcover. 3.5"x5.75", 44 pages (31 pages filled in). Marbled paper covers.

Hogg, Alex. The Manner of Burying the Dead at Holy Well Mount near London during the dreadful Plague..." London; Alex. Hogg: nd (late 18th century). A very pleasing copper plate engraving showing the dead being buried at night by torchlight during the Great Plague in the reign of Charles II (1665). 9"x15" (plate), 14"x19" (matted), a single sheet, removed from an unknown 18th century book.

Hough, Franklin B. Washingtoniana: or, Memorials of the Death of George Washington, Giving an Account of the Funeral Honors Paid to His Memory, with a list of tracts and volumes printed upon the occasion, and a catalogue of medals commemorating the event. Roxbury, Mass.; W. Elliot Woodward: 1865. Limited to 291 sets. A reprinting of a large number of period texts of funeral orations and other commemorations of Washington's life which were published at the time of his death. Hough explains in his Preface that the impetus for gathering this material originated during the Civil War (in which he served as a surgeon with the 97th Regiment, New York Volunteers).
            "It was during the darkest period of this melancholy epoch" he writes, that he conceived the idea of "turning back the pages of our national history to a time when our people were united in heart and interest as one... There appeared no incident in our annals more deeply expressive of unanimity, more free from partisan feeling, or more eloquent with sentiments of patriotism, than the funeral honors paid upon the death of General Washington, as found scattered in the official records and transient press of their day. A plan was formed for gathering these precious memorials, and of embodying them in a form worthy of the subject. The volumes here offered are the result of this effort. They exhibit the spectacle of a nation in mourning, to which the world's history presents no former parallel".
            Franklin B. Hough was a multi-talented man. In addition to being a surgeon, he is also considered to be the "Father of American Forestry" for important and far-sighted work he did in recognizing the importance of replanting and managing woodlands, work which resulted in the establishment of the Division of Forestry in the Department of Agriculture. He wrote a catalog of the native plants in Lewis County, New York and wrote four or five other New York county histories as well. He is said to have kept two or three different manuscripts, on different subjects, going in different rooms of his house simultaneously. He also discovered the mineral "houghite". There was perhaps no man in his time better suited to put together such a collection of memorials to George Washington. Hardcover. 2 vols. 7.5"x11", 272 + 304 pages; 2 steel-engraved portraits, folding plan of Mount Vernon.

Howe, W.H. "Here Lies" -Being a Collection of Ancient and Modern, Humorous and Queer Inscriptions from Tombstones. New York; New Amsterdam Book Company: 1901. An interesting if somewhat meandering collection of a wide variety of epitaphs from many places and many ages. Hardcover. 5"x7", 197 pages, pictorial boards.

[Howells] Mourning Card for Winifred Howells, Daughter of William Dean Howells. np; 1889. A black bordered mourning card announcing the death of the daughter of the eminent American novelist, critic and editor- "William Dean & Elinor Mead Howells announce the death of their daughter Winifred. Born in Venice December 17th, 1863. Died near Philadelphia, March 2nd, 1889." 4.5"x6.75", a single black-bordered ivory sheet with script printing, folded once, lettering on the front, blank inside.

Hudson, Charles. A Reply to Mr. Balfour's Essays touching the State of the Dead, and a Future Retribution. Woodstock (VT); printed by David Watson:1829. Death and what happens to the soul after it have provided the fodder with which countless generations of clerical philosophers have beat each other over the head. This is an interesting early Vermont-printed example of this apostolic vitriol. 3.5"x5.5", iv + 209 pages.

Hueppi, Adolf. Kunst und Kult der Grabstatten. Olten; Walter-Verlag AG:1968. A massive and heavily illustrated study of gravestones and graveyard art, design and decorative motifs. Subjects include cemetery design, gravestones, ironwork, sculpture and memorials, etc. 10"x11", 583 pages, 267 b&w illustrations and hundreds of line drawings and diagrams, dj.

Huish, Robert. Memoirs of Her Late Royal Highness Charlotte Augusta, Princess of Wales, &c., (from infancy to the period of her much lamented death, funeral rites, &c)... [bound with] A Sacred Memorial of Her Late Royal Highness Charlotte, Augusta, Princess of Wales, and of Saxe-Coburg Saalfeld; being extracts from upwards of One Hundred and Twenty Sermons, preached on the day of her internment, by the most eminent divines of all denominations. London; Thomas Kelly:1818. An expansive memorial volume which includes anecdotes of the Princess' life, and also extensive descriptions of her funeral. Princess Charlotte and her male child died in childbirth, plunging the nation into mourning. 2 volumes. 5.5"x8.5", xv + 696 + vi + 136 pages, plus 10 plates, including four portraits, 3 scenes from the estate at Claremont, a plate of the coffin and accouterments, and one of the funeral procession.

Hunnisett, R.F. The Medieval Coroner. Cambridge; at the University Press:1961. From the 'Cambridge Studies in English Legal History' series. The office of Coroner was established in England in 1194. 6"x9", xiii, 217 pages.

Hunt, Cecil. Here I Lie. London; Jonathan Cape: 1932. A collection of humorous and amusing epitaphs collected in England and America by this enthusiast. Illustrated with 6 charming drawings by Maurice Arthur. Hardcover. 5"x7", 111 pages, 6 b/w plates.

Hunt, Cecil. Last Words. A Collection of Singular, Authentic Epitaphs. London; Methuen & Co., Ltd.: 1944. A wartime book of English epitaphs. Hunt had been collecting them for some years, and had shared them with both his newspaper and radio audiences. Hardcover. 5"x7.5", 88 pages, dj.

Hunt, Cecil. More Last Words. A Collection of Singular, Authentic Epitaphs. London; Sampson Low, Marston & Company: ca.1945. Another wartime book of English epitaphs. Hunt had been collecting them for some years, and had shared them with both his newspaper and radio audiences. Hardcover. 5"x7.5", 69 pages, dj.

Hutton, Laurence. Portraits in Plaster from the collection of Laurence Hutton. New York; Harper & Brothers:1894. A fascinating collection of death masks in plaster, featuring dozens of famous men and several women. The nineteenth century saw continued interest in both physiognomy (the study of character through facial features) and phrenology (the study of character through the shape of the skull); though not directly related to either subject, the taking and collecting of death masks certainly seemed less strange to 19th century eyes already accustomed to psuedo-scientific interest in facial features. Hutton found his first half-dozen masks in a dust-bin, and collected many of the remainder during trips to Europe where he sought them out in a variety of places. Subjects in the collection included Beethoven, Frederick the Great, Samuel Johnson, Jean Paul Marat and Maximilian Robespierre, Isaac Newton, Edmund Kean, Thackerey, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Keats, Rosetti, Turner, Swift, Scott, Disraeli, Cromwell, Napoleon, U.S. Grant and William T. Sherman, George Washington, Thomas Paine, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster, Lincoln, Calhoun and Henry Clay. The entire collection must have presented a rather macabre display. 7"x10", 271 pages, 71 b&w plates and 1 b&w illustration.

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