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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Irion, Paul E. The Funeral. Vestige or Value? Nashville; Abingdon Press: 1966. A description and analysis of the American funeral as it existed in the 1960s, prompted by the criticism and attention then being focused on it. Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", 240 pages, dj.

Ivins, William M. Jr. The Dance of Death Printed at Paris in 1490. A reproduction made from the copy in the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, Library of Congress. Washington; Government Printing Office: 1946. 3rd Printing. A facsimile of this remarkable illustrated book, with a detailed essay by Ivins. Hardcover. 9"x12", x + [i] + 30 pages, b/w illustrations.

Jackson, William Alexander. The Funeral Procession of Queen Elizabeth (in) Records of a Bibliographer, Selected Papers of William Alexander Jackson. Cambridge; The Belknap Press: 1967. A study of the period pamphlets and printed accounts of the April, 1603 funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Also includes many other essays, including 'Thomas Frognall Dibdin'; 'A Dibdian Tour'; 'Edward Gwynn'; 'The Hofer Collection'; 'Counterfeit Printing in Jacobean Times'; many more... Hardcover. 8"x11", 236 pages, b/w illustrations, (Funeral essay 11 pages, no illustrations) dj.

Jacobs, G. Walker. Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye. A Guide to Gravestones & Gravestone Rubbing. Brattleboro; Stephen Greene Press: 1973. 3rd Edition. An interesting and folksy book all about going to graveyards and rubbing the stones -of course one cannot do that anymore, yet this remains an interesting memoir/reminiscence. It is also a study of graveyards and their stones, chiefly the New England graveyards the author visited. Hardcover. 5.5"x9", 123 pages, line illustrations, dj.

[James Thomson]. A Poem, Scared to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton, inscribed to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Walpole. np; nd (London, 1730). A memorial poem to the great scientist, with an interesting engraved plate illustrating a memorial monument on which a youthful Sir Isaac reclines atop a marble sarcophagus while a pair of cherubs hold a parchment before him. Above them a sorrowing Muse of Science drrapes herself over a globe of the world. Removed from a larger collection. Disbound, 4"x6.5", 21 pages, engraved plate showing a funereal monument to Newton.

Jones, Barbara. Design for Death. Indianapolis; Bobbs-Merrill: 1967. A book devoted to "the odd, beautiful, frightening or lunatic things which the human race chooses, or has chosen, to make for and of its dead...The chapters follow the corpse on its way: what is made of the dead body itself; how it is ornamented and dressed; how it is boxed; the ceremonial trappings of the funeral procession; how the grave is marked and adorned; how the survivors adorn themselves and create mementos; how they preserve relics. All this is described in an ironically witty text accompanied by over two hundred drawings and twenty-four pages of photographs...". An essential book for the student of grave matters. Hardcover. 7.5"x10", 304 pages, b/w and line illustrations, dj; bibliographic notes.

Jones, James. Sepulchrorum Inscriptiones: or, a Curious Collection of above 900 of the most Remarkable Epitaphs, Antient and Modern, Serious and Merry, in the Kingdoms of Great Britain, Ireland, &c. in English Verse. Westminster; Printed for J. Cluer, A. Campbell, and B. Creake: 1727. 2nd Edition. This interesting early work also contains "A compleat index of each person's name, the church, town, kingdom or county where they were interr'd." A fairly scarce item -only 2 copies of this edition are listed in OCLC, and only a single copy of the first (1726) edition is listed. Hardcover. 5"x8", viii + 384; 100 + 24 pages.

Kelke, W. Hastings. The Churchyard Manual. Intended Chiefly for Rural Districts. London; C. Cox: 1851. An interesting reformer's text, meant to improve the character and decoration of rural churchyards. Town church yards were, the author had concluded, too crowded to admit of reform, but country grounds had no such problem. They had other problems though- "too often they present a neglected and an unbecoming appearance; and still more frequently they contain, and continue to receive, memorials of an objectionable character". Kelke includes designs for gravestones and tombs, and a complete list of inscriptions and epitaphs that may not be found objectionable. His text covers cemeteries, and churchyard memorials and their decorations, about which he has strong opinions- "The ornaments of some modern memorials give them a fantastic and ridiculous appearance. A cherub's head, with puffed cheeks and outspread wings, formed by one continuous line of clever flourishing, adorns the upper part of the memorial, while the inscription, written in letters of various shape and character, is also embellished with a profusion of unmeaning flourishes. Such specimens of ornamental penmanship may be necessary in the writing-master's copy book, but are utterly unbecoming the gravity of sepulchral memorials. On the same principle gaudy colouring ought to be excluded. Yet the undiscriminating mania for mediaeval taste commends the one and condemns the other. A tomb, the receptacle of man's perishing remains, should not be tricked out with gorgeously emblazoned ornaments or illuminated letters, which give it a gaudy and flaunting appearance, perfectly inconsistent with its real nature and purpose. However brightened by the resurrection of our Lord, and robbed of its terrors to the true Christian, the grave is still a solemn object". Hardcover. 4.5"x6.75", xii + 154 pages, frontispiece vignette of a country church; 16 text illustrations of designs for headstones and tombs; publisher's original ribbed black cloth with a blindstamped Gothic design; gilt title.

[Kennedy, Robert F.] A Pair of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Cards. np; 1968. A nice pair of black-bordered memorial cards, each featuring a different portrait on the face, with a quote from RFK's extemporaneous eulogy of Martin Luther King. 2 cards, 3.5"x4.5".

Ketcham, William E. Funeral Sermons and Outline Addresses, an Aid for Pastors. New York; George H. Doran Company:1899. Have a funeral sermon coming up and you can't think of any ideas or angles? This is the resource book for you. 5.5"x8", 375 pages.

[King] Obituary Addresses on the Occasion of the Death of the Hon. William R. King, of Alabama, Vice President of the United States delivered in the Senate and in the House of Representatives of the United States, Eighth of December, 1853. Washington; Beverley Tucker:1854. A typical memorial text, with a portrait frontispiece. The blindstamped cloth covers feature a pleasing Gothic-feeling geometric border surrounding a gilt design of a draped funereal urn on a draped plinth with an hour-glass and roses at the base, all resting on a broader base incised with King's name. The same design is blindstamped on the rear cover. A handsome little mid-19th century funereal binding. Hardcover. 6"x9", 77 pages, portrait frontis.

Kingman, Bradford. Epitaphs from Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, from 1657 to 1892. With Biographical and Historical Notes. Brookline; New England Historical Publishing Company: 1892. Burial Hill is not the oldest graveyard in Massachusetts, but it is among the most interesting. Over 2,200 gravestones and monuments are included in this study, which includes illustrations of a number of interesting examples. In addition to listing the stones and their inscriptions, Kingman includes an interesting introductory history of the burial ground and also describes, in a chatty chapter, some of the more interesting graves and their stories. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", xv + 330 pages, 41 b&w illustrations, a steel engraving and 2 maps.

Kippax, John R. Churchyard Literature: A Choice Collection of American Epitaphs, with remarks on monumental inscriptions and the obsequies of various nations. Chicago; S.C. Griggs and Company: 1877. 2nd Printing. An interesting American study. Divided into chapters containing: Epitaphs of Eminent Persons; Admonitory Epitaphs; Devotional Epitaphs; Adulatory, Laudatory, and Bombastic Epitaphs; Professional Epitaphs; Ludicrous, Eccentric and Ridiculous Epitaphs; Punning and Satirical Epitaphs; Miscellaneous Epitaphs. Hardcover. 5.25"x7.5", 213 pages.

Kirby, Herbert Charles & Leland Lewis Duncan (eds.). The Monumental Inscriptions in the Church and Churchyard of S. Mary, Lewisham. Lee; Lewisham Antiquarian Society: 1899. Edition limited to 200 copies. This study includes inscriptions on the stones in the churchyard of Saint Mary, Lewisham, as well as those found in the church itself and in the vaults beneath it; it also includes inscriptions from the Old Church, which was dismantled in 1774 (taken from Thorpe's "Registrum Roffense" and several other sources). Hardcover. 8"x11", ii + 86 pages, title page printed in red & black.

Kirchmann, Johannes. Lubecensis de Funeribus Romanorum Libri Quator cum Appendice, Nitidissimis Figuris illustrati. Accessit et Funus Parasiticum Nicolai Rigaltii. Leyden; Hackius:1672. A wide-ranging work on the funeral rites and practices of the ancient Romans, including preservation of the corpse, the mourners and funeral processions, cremations, burials and memorials. Written in four parts, each part is illustrated with an engraved, folding plate by Romeyn de Hooghe: the first plate illustrates the corpse of a noble lady being borne on an elaborately draped litter by a group of soldiers while attendants wave wreaths and flowers; the second plate illustrates the funeral procession through the city with soldiers, attendants and mourners carrying torches and wreaths, horses prancing, mourners wailing, etc; the third plate illustrates the cremation of a body upon a pyre of logs some twenty feet high -in the foreground attendants prepare sacrifices of animals and birds and (it appears) several unfortunate people, possibly slaves; the fourth plate shows offerings of dead animals, wine and fruits being placed before an elaborate memorial be decked with garlands and wreaths. The engraved title page is also of interest, picturing another flaming cremation, this one taking place upon a pyre which is fully five stories high, fitted out with columns and draped with curtains and statuary -at the top a chariot and horses stand ready for the flight to the afterworld (one assumes). The appendix is a charming little treatise published in the same year, written by Nicolai Rigaltio, on the subject of parasites and protecting the corpse from them. Hardcover. 3.5"x5.5", engraved title page + an additional title page + (44) + 649 +(47) + (2) + 24 pages + 4 engraved folding plates by Romeyn de Hooghe; woodcut device on the title page and woodcut initials.

Kirchmann, Johannes. In Funere V.C.L. Pauli G.F.P.N. Merulae, Historiarum Professoris In Academia Batavorum...Oratio... Leyden; Hackius:1672. A funeral oration delivered at the funeral of Paulus Mercula. Hardcover. 3.5"x5.5", title page and 64 pages of text.

Knollwood Cemetery. A large chromolithograph panoramic view of Knollwood Cemetery, Massachusetts. Boston; George H. Walker & Co.:nd (ca.1880). A panoramic aerial view of the layout of Knollwood Cemetery, interesting in that although the various plots, parks and view are identified, there is not a gravestone to be seen, only blue lakes, green grass and bushy trees. At the bottom of the image there are several insets showing "Ninigret Lake", "a bend in the road", "The Private Station", The Receiving Tomb", and "An Entrance Gate". The cemetery had it's own railroad station, shown here, complete with train; in the distance may be seen Boston, Dedham, Norwood, the Neponset River and the Blue Hills. A serene view. 32"x20".

Krebs, John M. The Leader Fallen: A Sermon preached in the Rutgers-Street Church, New York, on Sabbath morning, April 11th, 1841, on occasion of the death of William Henry Harrison, President of the United States of America. New York; Harper & Brothers: 1841. "Printed by Request".President Harrison, "Tippecanoe" of "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" fame was the first U.S. President to die in office, and the event shook the nation to its core. The fact that he caught pneumonia and died within a very short time of his inauguration didn't help matters much. Harrison had been a very successful general in the Seminole War, and his death gave rise to the later legend that the President elected every 20th year would die in office -he was said to have caused a dying Indian chief to utter the curse that began the whole thing. Legend or not, the tale has given many people the queasies, especially when they consider the list- Harrison in 1840, Lincoln, elected in 1860; Garfield, elected in 1880, McKinley, elected in 1900; Harding, elected in 1920; Roosevelt, elected in 1940; Kennedy, elected in 1960... At any rate, it began here. Whether you believe that stuff to be a bunch of hooey or not, this remains a very nice early Presidential Eulogy -in fact, the earliest President you can get for a President who died in office, as Harrison was the first! Disbound. 5.5"x8.5", 44 pages.

Kull, Andrew. New England Cemeteries. A Collector's Guide. Brattleboro; The Stephen Greene Press: 1975. Now here is a really useful guide, just the right size for the pocket or backpack. Lists and briefly describes the cemeteries, gives a thumbnail history and critical comments. Hardcover. 6"x8", 253 pages, many b&w illustrations, dj.

Kunhardt, Dorothy M. & Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr.Twenty Days. A Narrative in Text and Pictures of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Twenty Days and Nights that followed -The Nation in Mourning, the Long Trip to Springfield. Castle Books:1977. A reissue of a 1966 study. A vivid pictorial chronology of the largest state funeral of the century. With a Foreword by Bruce Catton. 9"x12", 312 pages, hundreds of b&w illustrations, dj.

Kunt, Erno & Corvina Kiado. Folk Art in Hungarian Cemeteries. Budapest; Kossuth:1983. A subject probably not covered elsewhere. A fascinating survey of wood and stone carvings. 6.5"x7", 90 pages with line illustrations, plus 16 color and 40 b&w plates.

Kutscher, Martin L., et al. A Comprehensive Bibliography of the Thanatology Literature. New York; MSS Information Corporation:1975. 8.5"x11", 285 pages.

Labbe, Phillip. Thesaurus Epitaphiorum Veterum ac Recentium Selectorum ex Antiquis Inscriptionibus, omnique Scriptorum genere. Paris; Danielem Horthemels: 1686. 2nd Edition. An important 17th century collection, featuring both ancient and contemporary epitaphs from a wide variety of sources. A prior edition was published in Paris in 1666. Neither edition is common today -OCLC lists 4 copies of this edition and 4 copies of the first. Hardcover. 4.5"x7.25", [xiv] 626 [xliv] pages. Decorative woodcut head and tailpieces.

Lachman, Charles, et al. Ming-ch'i Figures from the William E. Little Collection Hanover; Hood Museum of Art: 1989. Ming ch'i were the famous clay tomb figures of people and animals, buried in elaborate tombs as a stand in for sacrificial figures, to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.Softcover. 8.5"x9", 12 pages, b/w illustrations.

Lamont-Brown, Raymond. A Book of Epitaphs. Newton Abbot; David & Charles: 1982. 1st American Edition. The author's seventh collection of epitaphs. He new what he was doing and managed, even at this late date and after so many books have been written on the subject, to come up with something new and interesting. Hardcover. 4.5"x8.5", 64 pages, line illustrations.

Lanciani, Rodolfo. Pagan and Christian Rome. Boston & New York; Houghton Mifflin:1893. This study covers the transition of Rome and Roman life and architecture from pagan to Christian. It includes chapters on Imperial tombs, Papal tombs, Pagan cemeteries, and Christian cemeteries, with many illustrations. 7"x9.5", ix + 374 pages, profusely illustrated with line illustrations in the text and b&w plates.

Landwehr, John. Splendid Ceremonies. State Entries and Royal Funerals in the Low Countries, 1515-1791. A Bibliography. Nieuwkoop; B de. Graff: 1971. A scholarly bibliography of some 300 books and pamphlets published in the Low Countries between 1515 and 1791 depicting, describing, or commemorating the visits and processions of Royalty, and Royal funerals. Hardcover. 7.5"x10.5", 206 pages with 20 portrait plates, plus 68 additional plates, 4 of them double-page; dj.

Langton, Jane. The Escher Twist. A Homer Kelly Mystery. New York; Viking: 2002. Mount Auburn Cemetery has a recurring role in this intriguing murder-mystery set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Professor Leonard Sheldrake meets a mysterious and charming young woman named Frieda at an Escher exhibition at local art gallery, but she then disappears... and another local professor who looks like Leonard's twin mysteriously falls to his death from the top of the tower at Mount Auburn. Homer and Mary Kelly try to help Leonard find Frieda, solve the mystery, and figure out who is leaving notes to a long-dead child buried at Mount Auburn; and what about those ghosts Leonard keeps running into at the cemetery? Jane Langton captures the essences of Cambridge and Mount Auburn Cemetery perfectly in this lively page-turner. Hardcover. 242 pages, several b/w illustrations of Escher prints, dj.

Lape, Rev. Thomas. The Mourner Comforted; or, Extracts Consolatory on the Loss of Friends. New York; M.W. Dodd:1849. A Victorian selection of sermons, tales and anecdotes. 3.25:x4.5", 187 pages, original blindstamped cloth covers with a gilt-stamped funeral urn and flowers.

Le Comte, Edward S. Dictionary of Last Words. New York; Philosophical Library:1955. More last words than you can shake a stick at, alphabetically by utterer.5.5"x8.5", 267 pages.

[Lee] Ceremonies connected with the inauguration of the mausoleum and the unveiling of the recumbent figure of General Robert Edward Lee at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA., June 28, 1883. Oration of John W. Daniel, LL.D. Historical Sketch of the Lee Memorial Association. Richmond; West, Johnston & Co.: 1883. Robert E. Lee died on October 12, 1870 while serving as President of Washington College (renamed Washington & Lee University). This booklet describes the organizing of the Lee Memorial Association, which created a mausoleum in the Chapel which had recently been completed on the campus, and hired sculptor Edward Valentine to create the "recumbent figure" of Lee in marble to sit atop the tomb. It also provides a description and program of the ceremonies to open and dedicate the memorial, as well as the text of the speeches given during the ceremonies. It concludes with a rather breathless recounting of Lee's Civil War career in the best "their flashing steeds strode bravely to the ramparts of fiery death and destruction 'midst the awful cannonading of their merciless foe" tradition. Softcover. 5.75"x9", 83 pages.

Lesur, Adrien. Quelques precisions sur l'assiette dite "A La Guillotine". Paris:1939. A short handbook on the apparent controversy surrounding the authenticity of several faience plates, evidently of the Revolutionary period, with pictures of the Guillotine. Softcover. 5"x7", 22 pages, 3 b&w and 1 color illustrations.

Levy, Barbara. Legacy of Death. The Remarkable Saga of the Sanson Family, Who Served as Executioners of France for Seven Generations. Englewood-Cliffs; Prentice Hall:1973. An interesting story, with insight into one of France's more macabre trades, as well as how death and punishment were used in 17th-19th century France. 5.5"x8.5", 262 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Licetus, Fortunivis. Lucernis Antiquorum reconditis libb. quatuor... Earumdem Cavssae, Proprietates, differentiae singule deinceps ex rei natura detegunter... Venetiis; Apud Euangelistam Deuch: 1621. Excavators of the tombs and grottoes under Rome found early Christian-era lamps, which they claimed were still alight when they were found, centuries after having been placed there. From these stories sprang the myth of the Eternal Fire of the Ancients, and Licetus was one scholar who took up the theme. Solon describes the 1652 edition of this work as being "the learned lucubrations of the Genoese antiquary, a firm believer in the perpetual fire of the ancients". Later authors have pointed out that there may be technical explanations for the phenomenon, such as certain chemical mixes which will spontaneously combust on contact with air. 6.25"x8.5", (63) + 415 pages, several woodcut head and tailpieces, a full-page woodcut emblem facing the Index, with sixteen woodcut lamps in the text, plus a folding plate.

[Lincoln condolences] The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Late President of the United States of America, and the Attempted Assassination of William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and Frederick W. Seward, Assistant Secretary, on the evening of the 14th of April, 1865. Expressions of Condolence and Sympathy Inspired by These Events. Washington; Government Printing Office:1867. A massive record of Victorian-era expressions of sympathy, sent from around the world. The notes and cards are arranged by country and city. A very extensive and impressive cross-section of Victorian condolence expression from around the world. 9.5"x12", 930 pages, portrait frontispiece of Lincoln.

Linden-Ward, Blanche. Silent City on a Hill. Landscapes of Memory and Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery. Columbus; Ohio State University Press: 1989. A complete illustrated history and survey of Cambridge's (not Boston's) Mount Auburn Cemetery, the first garden cemetery in America. An outstanding, well documented, heavily illustrated book. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 403 pages, b/w illustrations dj; bibliography.

Lindley, Kenneth. Of Graves and Epitaphs. London; Hutchinson: 1965. 1st Edition. An enthusiastic history of English churches and graveyards -nonconformist graveyards, sepulchral architecture, eccentric and unusual tombs, gravestone lettering, folklore and fables, epitaphs, and much more! Hardcover. 7"x10", 171 pages, b/w and line illustrations, dj.

Lion, Jindrich. The Old Prague Jewish Cemetery. Prague; Artia:1960. A moving photographic survey of the gravestones and vistas of this 15th-18th century cemetery. 9.5"x11", 24 pages plus 40 b&w plates.

Loaring, Henry James. Epitaphs: Quaint, Curious, and Elegant. With remarks on the Obsequies of Various Nations. London; William Tegg: 1873. "This collection is the result of personal observation, research, and friendly contributions, during the last twenty years. Epitaphs in Churches and Churchyards, generally speaking, belong to one of the following classes: (1) Elegant; (2) Trade and Professional; (3) Witty and Grotesque. The compiler has therefor placed them in chapters under those heads. The remainder, which there is some difficulty in classifying, it has been found advisable to introduce at the end as Miscellaneous". Hardcover. 4.25"x6.5", vi + 263 pages, b/w frontispiece.

Locke, Arthur H. Portsmouth and Newcastle New Hampshire Cemetery Inscriptions. Abstracts from Some Two Thousand of the Oldest Tombstones. Charlestown; Acme Bookbinding: 1997. A facsimile of the 1907 privately printed edition. A long list of abstracted information on 17th, 18th and early 19th century gravestones from 19 cemeteries. Hardcover. 7"x10", 44 pages, portrait.

Lodge, Sir Oliver J. Raymond or Life and Death, with examples of the evidence for survival of memory and affection after death. New York; George H. Doran Company:1916. The First World War brought about another upsurge of spiritualism. This case, presented by the father, involves a soldier who died and then "came back" through various means. An interesting first-hand account. 5.5"x8", 404 pages, b&w plates.

Loredano, Gio[vanni] Franc[esco]. Il Cimiterio Epitafi Giocosi. [Venice] 1645. An interesting collection of humorous and noteworthy epitaphs, divided into three sections of 100 each. Subsequent editions were published in 1653 and 1674. No edition is common- there are no OCLC listings for this edition, and only 1 each for the other two. Hardcover. 3.25"x5.5", 128 pages, woodcut device on the title page.

Loughridge, Patricia R. & Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. Women in Mourning. A catalog of the Museum of the Confederacy's corollary exhibition... Richmond; Museum of the Confederacy: 1986. An exhibition of mourning fashions, objects and customs in the South in the mid-late 19th century, with a very heavy emphasis on Civil War-related history and mourning. Softcover. 8.5"x11", 31 pages, b/w illustrations.

Louis J. Lamb. Catalogue of Sheet Metal Coffin Ornaments manufactured by Louis J. Lamb. Attleboro, Mass.:nd.ca.1890-1900. A catalog of very interesting metal coffin ornaments, finished in either silver or gold tones. These included all sorts of plates, studs, and other ornaments, in a variety of styles and tastes. The Victorian and Aesthetic movements prevail in decorative style. 9.5"x6", 53 pages, b&w illustrations.

Ludwig, Allan I. Graven Images. New England Stonecarving and its Symbols, 1650-1815. Middletown; Wesleyan University Press: 1975. An important and scholarly study of 17th and 18th century New England gravestones and their carvers. Well illustrated and fully annotated, this study will be a cornerstone work for decades to come. Softcover. 8"x10", xxxi + 482 pages, 256 b/w illustrations, maps.

[Lupi, Anton Maria]. Dissertatio et Animadversiones as Nuper Inventum Severae Martyris Epitaphium. Palermo; Ex typographia Stephani Amato: 1734. A wonderful illustrated survey of the epitaphs, monuments and relics of early Christian martyrs. The text is illustrated with 15 plates (3 folding) showing inscribed slabs, sarcophagii, and tomb pottery. There are also many text illustrations of inscriptions. Hardcover. 8.5"x12.5", [iv] [i] 202 pages, plus 12 full-page and 3 folding engraved plates. There are also many engraved illustrations in the text.

Lythgoe, Albert M. The Tomb of Perneb. New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art:1916 (1929, 7th printing). An Egyptian tomb which was "acquired" from the Egyptian government and shipped to New York. 6"x8.5", 79 pages, b&w illustrations, softcover.

M'Dowall, William. Memorials of St. Michael's. The Old Parish Churchyard of Dumfries. Edinburgh; Adam & Charles Black: 1876. Saint Michael's churchyard is one of the oldest and most interesting extant churchyards in the U.K., and it is unique in being the burial place of Robert Burns. Burns' elegant tomb is pictured on the title page vignette. Hardcover. 5.5"x7.5", ix + 446 pages, lithographed frontispiece of the church graveyard and lithographed title page with a vignette of Robert Burns' elegant tomb.

MacDonald, Edward. Old Copp's Hill and Burial Ground with Historical Sketches. Boston; published by the author:1893. 13th edition. MacDonald was Superintendent of Copp's Hill. 6"x9", 59 pages, line illustrations, softcover.

MacGregor, Major Robert Guthrie. Epitaphs from the Greek Anthology. London; Nissen and Parker: 1857. The author was an officer in India before retiring, and evidently sought amusement in his leisure moments reading and translating ancient Greek authors. In retirement he wrote a book about India and then took up this project to translate and present 700 ancient Greek epitaphs. He attempted not to alter them too much for Victorian sensibilities, but to "retain the Greekishness of the original as much as possible rather than to refine away and modernise its simplicity and quaintness". Hardcover. 6"x9", xv + 209 pages.

Macdonald, A.J. Monuments, Grave Stones, Burying Grounds, Cemeteries, Temples, Etc. Albany; Joel Munsell, printer:1848. The author was opposed to tombstones, gravestones, and monuments, and outlines his reasons at length. He buried his wife and, although "it is the custom to place a tomb-stone or monument over the grave, and to obey the law of custom, I should have placed one there... whether I should do so or not was a question which agitated my mind for a long period. However, the important question was at length decided, by what I conceived to be the pure exercise of the reflective faculties. I asked myself, is it any use for me to expend money on a tomb-stone, which will not do my wife's body or soul any good, or myself either, or anyone else around me, so far as I can tell?" Obviously Mr. Macdonald was not thinking about the gravestone carvers he was putting out of work. 5"x8", 22 pages, sewn self-wrappers; the cover has a decoration showing an urn on a base, and the last page has a large woodcut skull-and-crossbones.

Macmillan, A.S. Somerset Epitaphs (second series) "How" and "When" Death Came. London; Folk Press Ltd.: 1926. From the "Somerset Folk Series". Classified by "When Death Came" (i.e., the stage of life) and "How Death Came". Softcover. 5"x7", 181 pages, b/w frontispiece.

[Maiben, Frederick] An Original Collection of Extant Epitaphs. Gathered by A Commercial in spare moments. London; F. Maiben: 1870. A charming and personal collection, gathered by the author over a period of ten years he worked as a traveling commercial representative. When he was on the road and had a few spare moments he would wander into the local graveyard and copy down interesting epitaphs. The book is handsomely printed, and includes several line-drawn facsimiles of monuments, decorations and inscriptions. Uncommon. Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", viii + 88 pages; several b/w illustrations. Original pebbled burgundy cloth with a gilt cover vignette of a gravestone.

Majdalany, Jeanne & Jean Mulkerin. Poems on Stone in Stamford, Connecticut. Stamford; Stamford Historical Society: 1980. A survey and examination of the gravestones in Stamford's oldest cemeteries. Softcover. 5.5"x8.5", xi + 188 pages, b/w illustrations, map.

Mann, Thomas C. & Janet Greene. Sudden & Awful. American Epitaphs & the Finger of God. Brattleboro; Stephen Greene Press: 1968. A selection of cute epitaphs recording sudden and unusual deaths. Well, not all of them are actually cute, but most are either graphic or have a certain bluntness which is missing from most inscriptions today. Hardcover. 5.5"x9", 99 pages, line illustrations, dj.

Mann, Thomas C. & Janet Greene. Over Their Dead Bodies. Yankee Epitaphs & History. Brattleboro; Stephen Greene Press: 1962. A selection of cute epitaphs recording sudden and unusual deaths. Well, not all of them are actually cute, but most are either graphic or have a certain bluntness which is missing from most inscriptions today. Hardcover. 5.5"x9", 103 pages, line illustrations, dj.

Marion, John Francis. Famous and Curious Cemeteries. A Pictorial, Historical, and Anecdotal View of American and European Cemeteries and the Famous and Infamous People Who Are Buried There. New York; Crown Publishers: 1977. The title says it all -a pleasing pictorial and descriptive romp through the world's cemeteries in search of the famous, infamous and truly odd. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 276 pages, 256 b&w illustrations, dj.

Martin, Henry R. (illustrator). Comic Epitaphs from the Very Best Old Graveyards. Mount Vernon; Peter Pauper Press: 1957. A popular little book on strange and humorous epitaphs. Hardcover. 4.5"x7.5", 61 pages, monochrome text illustrations; dj.

Martineau, Gilbert. Napoleon's Last Journey. London; John Murray:1976. The rather incredible saga of the 19 year struggle to get Napoleon's remains returned from St. Helena to France, and the story of the journey itself- the triumphal procession to Les Invalides, the reception of the remains by Louis Philippe and the veterans of the Campaigns, accoutered once more in faded uniforms, and more... 5.5"x8.5", 195 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Massachusetts Undertakers' Association. Official Directory of the Undertakers of New England. Boston:1898. This directory contains many interesting advertisements. 5.5"x8", 100 pages, b&w illustrations.

Massachusetts Undertakers' Association By-Laws. Hyde Park; Massachusetts Undertakers' Association: 1892.The MUA was instituted on November 23, 1891, in an effort to provide a unified front for the profession, in the aftermath of a fight between Massachusetts undertakers and the Massachusetts Medical Society, which had attempted to pass a law that would have prohibited the embalming of a body without a doctor's certificate. This small booklet contains the MUA's Bylaws and Code of Ethics. It is accompanied by a folder dated January 15, 1892, promoting the Association to Massachusetts undertakers who have not joined. Softcover. 3.25"x5.25", 13 pages.

Masters, Edgar Lee. Spoon River Anthology. New York; Macmillan Company: 1921. "Spoon River Anthology", famous as a major work of 20th century poetry, is also really a series of epitaphs! Hardcover. 5.5"x8", several b/w plates.

McCaul, Rev. John. Christian Epitaphs of the First Six Centuries. Toronto; W.C. Chewett & Co. and London; Bell & Daldy: 1869. The author picked Christian epitaphs up to AD 600 because after that period the last traces of the ancient Roman epigraphy had worn off. This is a scholarly study, not simply a collection. It is illustrated with 5 fine lithographed plates. Uncommon. Hardcover. 6"x9", xxviii + 72 pages, + 5 lithographed plates.

McManners, John. Death and the Enlightenment. Oxford; Clarendon Press & New York; Oxford University Press:1981. "Changing attitudes to death among Christians and unbelievers in eighteenth-century France." 6"x9", 619 pages, dj.

McPherson, Thomas A. American Funeral Cars & Ambulances Since 1900. Glen Ellyn; Crestline Publishing: 1973. Amazing, simply amazing. We've all seen those pictorial surveys of various subjects with thousands of photographs from old magazines, catalogs, etc... well here is one devoted to the chronological development of hearses and ambulances (which, under the paint job, are basically the same thing) in the United States. Hardcover. 9"x11", 351 pages, thousands of b/w illustrations.

Meldrim, Mrs. Peter W. Some Early Epitaphs in Georgia. Compiled by the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Durham; Georgia Society of Colonial Dames: 1924. The Foreword is by Meldrim; the entire Society pitched in to survey and record the cemeteries. These included the Old Colonial Cemetery in Savannah, Frederica Cemetery (in Frederica), Vernonburg (White Bluff) Cemetery, St. Paul's in Augusta, Midway Cemetery, Sunbury Cemetery, and the Old Jewish Cemetery in Savannah. Hardcover. 6.5"x9", 472 pages, 6 b/w illustrations and a folding map.

Meldrim, Mrs. Peter. Some Early Epitaphs of Georgia. Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America:1924. An unusual study of Southern graveyard epitaphs, gathered by cemetery. 6.5"x9.5", 472 pages, 2 b&w plates.

[Memorial Art] An interesting hand-lettered and decorated framed piece memorializing the death of one-year old Louie Mann. Providence; no date, but probably 1870s or 80s. A handsome broadside addressed in the upper left corner "To Mrs. Mann", whose photograph is pasted in an oval in the center, beside the pasted-on photograph of her dead baby Louie. Both photos are bordered in gold and surrounded with elaborate, hand-painted twirling foliage and roses; all the text is also hand-calligraphed with numerous colored initial letters. Poetry stanzas surround the photos on both sides, above and below, separated with hand-gilt geometric designs, and several more lines of poetry are included in a banner above the photos. Most of the verses console the mother on her loss with the thought that Louie is now in Heavan and some day Mrs. Mann will join him there. Framed in a handsome period wooden frame, black with restrained incised and giltAesthetic decorations at the corners. The piece is hand signed at the bottom "H. Decker, 207 Pine St., Providence, R.I.", leading to the speculation that Decker may have specialized in producing this type of memorial tribute. 10.5"x18" (sight), 13"x20" (frame); hand-calligraphed and lettered with hand-painted decorations on paper with two pasted-on photographs.

[Memorial Art] -Hand Illuminated Memorial Manuscript. In Memory of Murry Gugenheim -Illuminated Testimonial. np (probably NY); Kennecott Copper Corp.:1939. A beautiful and unique hand-illuminated memorial tribute to the late Director, consisting of a sympathy message from the Board of Directors which has been hand-calligraphed on vellum or a vellum-like parchment, complete with 5 elaborate hand-illuminated initial letters and several illuminated head and tailpieces; there is also a very elaborate hand-illuminated title page; the color used throughout are deep reds, greens and blues and gold. The whole is bound in full, gilt-ruled blue leather with watered-silk dentelles; the binding is signed "Ames & Rollinson, N.Y.". In addition, there is a laid-in copy of a typescript poem "When I am Dead", presumably read at the funeral. Also laid in are several photos of an estate. 9"x12", 7 pages, full leather.

Memorial Art. Volume 1, No.4. April, 1932. Granite Manufacturers' Association of Quincy, Mass.: 1932.A quarterly periodical issued by the Granite Manufacturers Association with short notes on the granite gravestone trade, illustrations of new designs and effects, and many advertisements. Softcover. 5"x7.5", 34 pages, b/w illustrations.

[Memorial Book] Paine, Martyn. Memoir of Robert Troup Paine, by his parents. Printed for private distribution, especially for the classmates of the youth. New York:1852. A huge memorial volume, representing the full flowering of Victorian memorial books. Robert Paine died in his fourth year at Harvard, evidently a suicide. This volume includes letters to and from Robert and his parents as well as a huge number of letters of condolence, appropriate orations and essays on life and death, etc. The binding is elaborately blindstamped with a bewildering array of theological, natural history and mourning motifs. 9"x11.5", 524 pages, steel-engraved portrait frontispiece, elaborate blindstamped funereal binding.

[Memorial Broadside] An Elegy On the Death of Mr. Harfield Lyndsey, Aged 26 Years. [Enfield, Massachusetts; John Howe: ca. 1837.]  A very handsome broadside elegy, featuring a woodcut border of stylized leaves, with a coffin in the upper left corner. The main elegy is added to be “An Acrostic” by “Samuel Dunn, Aet. 91 years 7 months”. Samuel Dunn [1746-1843] wrote a number of funereal acrostics and poems, and was known as something of a “poet of the death-bed”. The broadside is attributed to the printer John Howe of Enfield, Massachusetts, one of the towns which was submerged by the Quabbin Reservoir in the 20th century. Broadside. 8.5”x9”.

[Memorial Lithograph]Hartford; E.B. & E.C. Kellogg: probably 1845-50. A handsome colored memorial lithograph featuring a monument in the form of a pedestal with a stylized urn on top, set amidst other gravestones and rose bushes, under a weeping willow tree. In the background the scene stretches away starting with a churchyard, beyond that a hill, and beyond that a sailing ship. The monument has the printed legend "In Memory of", with no name or details filled in below. The Kellogg company has been called "Connecticut's Currier & Ives"; they published a variety of popular prints from the 1840s to the end of the century. The imprint "E.B. & E.C. Kellogg" was used during the 1840s, 50s and 60s. A handsome lithograph with interesting details. Colored lithograph. 11"x14".

[Memorial Photograph] Remember the Maine! np: dated Feb. 15, 1898. An interesting albumen print of a floral memorial to the victims of the explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor (the final spark that touched off the Spanish-American War). A large cross is set in the middle of a 20 foot by 20 foot patch of ground (in a cemetery); the cross has the words "Victims of the Maine" inscribed on the crosspiece, and is draped with garlands and wreaths; it is surrounded by flags and more wreaths. It is not obvious that this is a photograph of the actual cemetery where the sailors were buried -from the look of the memorial I rather think that it is not. It has the look of a local memorial, but I could be wrong about that.6.5"x4.5" (image), on a 9.5"7.25 mat; "Remember the Maine -Spanish American War -Feb 15, 1898 is written in pen on the front of the mat.

[Memorial gouache] np; nd. Probably England, late 19th century. A striking naive memorial gouache picturing a white-robed woman crying on a grave mound in the middle of a small walled graveyard. The whole is done in dark earth tones of blue, green and brown, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of William Blake. 8.5"x6.75 (sight).

Mendelsohn, Simon. Embalming Fluids. Their Historical Development and Formulation, from the Standpoint of the Chemical Aspects of the Scientific Art of Preserving Human Remains. New York; Chemical Publishing Co.:1940. Includes chapters on the historical development of the embalming art from ancient times, the chemistry of putrefaction, general chemistry of embalming fluids, digest of American patents for embalming preparations and processes from 1856 to 1939, preservation of bodies with ice and dry ice, and much, much more! 6.5"x9.5", 166 pages, several b&w plates.

Merchant, Frank R. Crossing Into Eternity. A Collection of Epitaphs, plus Epistles on Death, Dying and Eternal Life. Published by the author: 1992. An interesting, highly personal survey of epitaphs at several Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts cemeteries. Merchant and his wife, who was dying of cancer at the time, gathered the epitaphs themselves, and these form the background to the author's delving into the history and religious questions surrounding death, burial, cemeteries, and epitaphs. A deeply religious and opinionated man, the author's text nonetheless makes compelling reading, as does his somewhat idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation. A privately published volume and quite scarce. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 248 pages, b/w illustrations.

Merts & Riddle. Hearse Catalogue. Ravenna, Ohio: no date (ca. 1880). A trade catalog of horse-drawn hearses manufactured by this Ohio company.Each hearse is illustrated and described. This company made very fine, fancy hearses, including three styles of child's hearses. A very nice trade catalog. Softcover. 9.5"x8", 20 pages, 20 b/w illustrations.

Meryon, Edward. Epigrams, Epitaphs, Personal Anecdotes, &c., collected by Edward Meryon, M.D. No Place; Printed for Private Circulation: 1880. Although there are only 20 pages of epitaphs included, the book itself is something of an epitaph, having apparently been published as a memorial volume to the author. The book features a photographic frontispiece of the old gentleman. Hardcover. 5.25"x7.5", 148 pages; with an albumen photograph of the author pasted in as the frontispiece. Bound in period full rough-grained brown leather with gilt rules and scrollwork on the front and rear covers, raised bands and small gilt scrolls on the spine, gilt dentelles and marbled endpapers. A very handsome binding.

[Millais Funeral] Order of Service for the Burial of Sir John Everett Millais, President of the Royal Academy, Thursday, August 20th, 1896. St. Paul's Cathedral. London:1896. The program for the funeral service, with hymns, directions for the ceremony, etc. 5"x8", 7 pages, paper self-covers.

Minear, Paul S. Death set to Music. Masterworks by Bach, Brahms, Pendercki, Bernstein. Atlanta; John Knox Press:1987. An examination of four major musical works- the St. Matthew Passion by Bach, Brahms' A German Requiem, Penerecki's Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and Mass: A Cry for Peace by Bernstein. 6"x9", 173 pages, dj.

Minns, Susan, et al. Imago Mortis. Preciosa uit de verzameling S. Minns in de Leuvense Universiteitbibliotheck. Universiteitsbibliotheek K.U. Leuven: no date (c.1975).The catalog to an exhibition of items from Susan Minns' collection of The Dance of Death, the largest private collection of such material ever assembled. Includes a short foreword by Minns and an English Prefatory Note; the rest of the catalog is in Dutch. Softcover. 8"x9.5", 27 pages plus 10 b/w plates.

Mogridge, G. The Churchyard Lyrist. Consisting of Five Hundred Original Inscriptions To commemorate the Dead, With a suitable Selection of appropriate Texts of Scripture. London; Printed for Houlston and Son: 1832. "The object of the present volume is to offer to the Public a greater variety of original epitaphs than has hitherto appeared, the want of such variety having generally led to the repetition of common-place and inapplicable inscriptions... The epitaphs are thrown together promiscuously in the Volume, to impart a variety which may recommend it to the general reader. As the Churchyard Lyrist is intended to be practically and generally useful, it is adapted to different degrees of intelligence. Originality and taste, however desirable, affect, comparatively, but a few, while the many are more accessible to the plainer precepts of piety and morality". Hardcover. 4.5"x7.5", viii + 209 pages. Bound in the original dark green cloth, with gilt spine title & emblem and a decorated title page with a vignette of a graveyard.

Monteith, R[obert]. An Theater of Mortality: Or, the Illustrious Inscriptions Extant upon the several Monuments, erected over dead Bodies, (of the sometime Honourable Persons) Buried within the Gray Friars Church Yard, and other Churches and Burial-Places within the City of Edinburgh and Suburbs: Collected and Englished by R. Monteith, M.A. Edinburgh; Printed by the Heirs and Successors of Andrew Anderson: 1704. 1st edition. One of the earliest English-language books of Epitaphs. Monteith dedicates this book to the worthy burghers of Edinburgh, and writes that he hopes that "This Treatise may serve as a Monitor, to whisper you in the Ear, that you are Men; And tho' you be called Gods, you must die. This sets before you the Memoirs, of those Excellent Worthies, whose Steps you tread and whose Vertues you imitate; and whose (following) Inscriptions, changing only the Names, may be thought just Delineations and Descriptions of your selves, your Way and Walk". Robert Monteith, A.M., was the son of a merchant in Edinburgh. He took his degree as Master of Arts at the University there in 1662, and was appointed minister of Borgue in Kirkcudbright. In 1682, while serving at Carrington, he was accused of "sundry very gross miscarriages," and eventually deposed for drunkenness. Monteith then made a precarious living by publishing books and writing funeral elegies, and became noted especially for his book "Theater of Mortality". He died in Edinburgh on the 6th September 1719. Hardcover. 4.25"x7", [vi] 78 [ii] pages.

Monteith, R[obert]. An Theater of Mortality: or, A Further Collection of Funeral Inscriptions over Scotland... Edinburgh; Printed by the Heirs and Successors of Andrew Anderson: 1713. 2nd Edition.  Hardcover. 4.5"x7", [i] [vi] 280 pages.

Monteith, Robert, et al. Collection of Epitaphs and Monumental Inscriptions, chiefly in Scotland. Glasgow; Printed for D. MacVean: 1834. The most extensive work on epitaphs in Scotland at the time it was published. Based in part on Robert Montieth's "Theater of Mortality", one of the earliest English-language books on epitaphs, with many original additions which appeared here for the first time. Indexed by name. Hardcover. 4.5"x7.5", iv + 369 pages, lithographed frontispiece.

Montell, William L. Ghosts Along the Cumberland. Deathlore in the Kentucky Foothills. University of Tennessee Press:1976. 2nd ptg. Death and folk beliefs associated with death and the dead, as well a local ghosts tales and folklore. 6"x9", 240 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Monuments of Siberia. Moscow: 1974. A compelling pictorial document -the dramatic Siberian sky looms large in many photos, and the bare, thick trees and overall feeling of chill are impossible to escape, yet as you pass through them the pictures begin to convey a feeling of warmth and beauty. This study includes many political and army monuments from the Soviet era, and nonetheless manages to be. But with the inherent dignity of almost every photo, even tired Soviet granite-hewn cliches are seen anew. There is a very good selection of army-related memorial monuments, almost all of 20th century vintage. Hardcover. 8.5"x9.5", 22 pages of Cyrillic text plus a 40 page insert which includes a summary and picture captions in English, French and German plus 385 b/w illustrations, dj.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. Fullness of Life, A Memoir of Elizabeth Shaw Morison, 1886-1945. Privately printed: 1945. Edition limited to 200 copies. Samuel Eliot Morison's dignified and moving tribute to his late wife. Morison, a Captain in the Naval Reserves, was a famous historian and author of a number of nautical histories, including the famous 15-volume official "History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War Two". Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", 63 pages, 5 b/w illustrations; marbled board covers, cloth spine; "Bound in paper designed and executed by Rosamond B. Loring [and] printed by The Merrymount Press, Boston.

Morley, John. Death, Heaven and the Victorians. London; Studio Vista: 1971. An extraordinary and sweeping survey of Victorian funeral arts, attitudes and customs. Includes chapters on the Victorian funeral, cemeteries and cemetery reform, monuments, mourning dress & etiquette, state funerals, means of burial, and spirit & medium-related shenanigans. Illustrated with items from many private collections. Hardcover. 7.5"x10", 208 pages, 134 b/w and color illustrations; bibliography.

Morris, Ian. Burial and ancient society. The rise of the Greek city-state. Cambridge University Press:1989; 2nd ptg. 7"x10", 262 pages, b&w and line illustrations.

[Mount Auburn] Services at the Consecration of the Cemetery at Mount Auburn, Saturday, September 24, 1831. "From the Eve. Gazette Office": 1831. The printed order of services at the consecration of the famous Mount Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The first page lists the services- I. Instrumental Music by the Boston Band. II Introductory Prayer by the Rev. Dr. Ware. III. Hymn written by the Rev. Mr. Pierpont (with the text of the hymn). IV. Address by the Hon. Joseph Story. V. Concluding Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Pierpont. Music, by The Band." The second page provides the text of another hymn. 2 pages, 4.25"x7".

[Mount Auburn] The Picturesque Pocket Companion, and Visitor's Guide, through Mount Auburn: illustrated with upwards of sixty engravings on wood. Boston; Otis, Broaders and Company: 1839. The earliest guide book issued to historic Mount Auburn Cemetery, America's first garden cemetery, which had opened in 1831. This volume includes a history of the cemetery, descriptions and illustrations of the monuments, and many poems and other pieces, including the story "The Lily's Quest" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hardcover. 4"x6.5", 252 pages, woodcut illustrations; pictorial pasteboard covers.

[Mount Auburn Cemetery] Colored lithograph of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn. London; George Virtue: 1839. A charming hand-colored lithograph of a pastoral scene at Mt. Auburn cemetery. Strollers lounge at lakeside amidst a glen of trees, with several fashionable marble monuments visible. 10.5"x8", 1 sheet.

[Mount Auburn Cemetery] Plan of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn. Boston; Alexander Wadsworth: 1857. A charming 1857 folding map of Mount Auburn cemetery, in the original covers. Hardcover. 4.75"x7.5" blue cloth folder with gilt cover title "Mount Auburn Cemetery", covers with elaborate blindstamping and some rubbing; spine partially split; containing a folding map which unfolds to 22.5"x28".

[Mount Auburn Cemetery] Guide through Mount Auburn. A Hand-Book for Passengers over the Cambridge Railroad. Illustrated with Engravings and a Plan of the Cemetery. Boston; Bricher & Russell:1866. 7th edition. This little handbook has many charming illustrations showing monuments and other points of interest. 4"x6.5", 78 pages, line illustrations, softcover.

[Mount Auburn Cemetery] Mount Auburn Cemetery. Including also a brief History and Description of Cambridge, Harvard University, and the Union Railway Company. Cambridge; Moses King:1882. 18th ed. Illustrated with any nice line illustrations. 4.5"x6.5", 98 pages, b&w illustrations, stiff covers.

[Mount Auburn Cemetery] Catalogue of the Lot Owners in the Cemetery of Mount Auburn -1891. Boston; Alfred Mudge & Son:1891. 4.25"x7", 299 pages. A listing of lot owners at one of America's original garden cemeteries. The names are first arranged by "lane", and then relisted alphabetically.

Mourners' Carriage List. Boston; Dorntree Casket Co.: 1900-1909. 2 identical black-bordered cards titled "Mourners' Carriage List", with lines to be filled in for the date (190-), hour, name of deceased, and residence. There are then sections for a listing of mourners in the First through Fifth Carriage. 2 cards. 3.75"x8.5".

[Mourning Fabric] Mourning Prints Made by the Eddystone Mfg. Co., Sole Mfrs. Of Wm. Simpson & Sons Prints. [Eddystone, Pennsylvania; ca.1877-1892]. An attractive card with 5 large fabric swatches; for the life of me, I cannot tell the difference between A and D, or B and E, but they may once have been different shades. Eddystone Mfg. Co. was formed in 1877, and Wm. Simpson & Sons ceased operations in 1892 and was incorporated into the Eddystone company, hence our dating of this piece within that period. Single card, 7.5"x11", with 5 large fabric swatches.

[Mourning Photo] A Stereoscope card titled "Liberty Mourning for the Heroes of the Maine". Littleton (N.H.); B.W. Kilburn: 1898. The American battleship U.S.S. Maine blew up while anchored in Havana Harbor on February 15th, 1898, with great loss of life. This is an interesting image of a woman dressed as "Liberty" in a robe made of American flags, kneeling and raising her hands to Heaven against a backdrop of American flags. 7"x3.5".

[Mourning cards] Mourning Card catalog. Chicago; G.S. Utter & Co.: 1890. An interesting packet of materials from the G.S. Utter Memorial Card company of Chicago. Includes the remnants of the envelope addressed to (in inkstamp) "The Family of the Late" (handwritten) "J. Marthaler...". A folding brochure illustrating three mourning cards full-size, as well as selected verses available, with prices; an order sheet; a small advertisement for a "white enameled memorial card".

[Mourning Card] "In Affectionate Remembrance of William Henry Taylor, Who Died January 30th, 1879, Aged 14 Years". No place: 1879. A pictorially pleasing embossed card in black & white with winged angels sitting atop a temple with columns, flanked by willows to each side and an urn at the top. The middle of the card contains the text, including a memorial poem. 3"x4.5", embossed cream-colored card stock with the "picture" raised above the background, which is colored in black.

[Mourning Card] "In Memory of Sarah Waller Who Died 7th Sept. Aged 79 Years. Interred in the Bon[illegible] Cemetery, the 11th Day of Sept. 1865". London; Moses John Hickman, Furnishing Undertaker: 1865. An unusual and attractive die-cut, embossed and colored mourning card. The scene shows a weeping woman before a gravestone, with a weeping willow's branches spreading overhead and lilies growing around her. The background is cut-out, and the willow leaves and border of the tombstone and ground are colored dark-gold. The personal details are filled-in in pen, and the card bears the imprint of a London undertaker at the bottom. A very attractive card. 3.5"x5", embossed cream-colored stock bordered in black, die-cut and partially colored with gold.

[Mourning Cards] Four Un-Printed Embossed Mourning Card Blanks. Probably England, 1860s or 70s. Four black-bordered mourning card blanks with embossed scenes, but entirely unprinted. The scenes include- a crypt with willows and 2 angels; a tombstone with a sorrowing angel comforting a sobbing child with willows; a crying woman with columns and a short iron fence and, of course, willow branches; a woman comforting another woman, with decorative borders. 4 cards. Each 3"x4.5", black borders and embossed designs.

[Mourning print] "To the Memory of Elizabeth E. Rowell, who died August 14th, 1840 -aged 15 years". np; nd. (probably English, ca.1839-40). A colored lithograph print showing a tall funeral monument consisting of a large urn mounted on a base; a weeping woman in a red dress and brown apron stands beside it, a large willow tree hovers in the near background; roses bloom on the left and tulips (?) on the right. In the further background there is a river with a small boat, and on the other bank rolling hills and a church. "To the Memory of" is printed, but the name and death date are filled in in pen, as is the sentiment: Affliction's semblance bends not o'er thy tomb, Affliction's self deplores thy youthful doom". 16.5"x14".

Munby, Arthur J. Faithful Servant: being Epitaphs and Obituaries recording their names and services. London; Reeves and Turner:1891. A very interesting compilation of epitaphs for servants of various types through the ages. Hardcover. 5.5"x8", xv + 400 pages.

[Napoleon] A framed set of illustrations from Napoleon's funeral. np; mid-19th century. An interesting trio of hand-colored wood engravings picturing the barge, coffin and coach from Napoleon's funeral, mounted in a single mat. 16"x12" (mounted size).

A Nice Arrangement of Epitaphs. Cambridge; W. Heffer & Sons Ltd: 1964. A collection of 9 epitaphs, written by writers ranging from Ben Johnson and Alexander Pope to Walter de la Mare and A.E. Housman, each illustrated with a dramatic woodcut by Pamela Hughes, who also contributed the dramatic, full-page woodcut that decorates the cover and title page. Uncommon. Softcover. 6"x9", decorated title page, 11 pages, b/w woodcuts by Pamela Hughes.

Nicolas, Nicholas Harris. Testamenta Vetusta: Being Illustrations from Wills, of Manners, Customs, &c. as well as of the descents and possessions of many distinguished families. From the reign of Henry the Second to the Accession of Queen Elizabeth. London; Nichols and Son: 1826. An antiquarian's collection of the texts of English wills over a period of 500 years, to the Reign of Elizabeth I. Though Nicolas was most interested in the genealogical uses of these papers, they lend themselves to a much wider circle of readers, and contain much of interest to many researchers, and throw much light on the customs of the English as they prepared for death through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, KCMG [1799-1848] was a barrister and member of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries, though he quarreled with his fellow Antiquaries and resigned that position after only two years. He also quarreled over the Records Commission and helped reform the British Museum. His chief interests were antiquarian, however, and he wrote numerous biographies of English worthies for Pickering's Aldine Press editions as well as histories of London, the Peerage of England, the Knighthood of the British Empire, and other light subjects.2 vols. Hardcover. 6.5"x10", xl + 874 pages, decorative vignettes on the title pages and an engraved frontispiece.

Nketia, J.H. Funeral Dirges of the Akan People. New York; Negro Universities Press:1969. A reissue of a 1955 study of Gold Coast funeral dirges. 6"x9", 296 pages, words & music.

Norfleet, Barbara P. Looking at Death. Boston; David R. Godine:1993. An interesting collection of death-related photography, based on an exhibition of photographs drawn from the Harvard Collections. Commentary on individual photos is minimal, but there is an introduction to each section. Spanning 150 years of photography, the chapters include: Staging Death (actors); Death by Violence; Death at the Medical School; Remains of Death; Death in the Family and Mourning and Ritual. 10"x9", 141 pages, b&w illustrations, dj.

Norfolk, Horatio Edward. Gleanings in Graveyards: A Collection of Curious Epitaphs... London; John Russel Smith: 1866. 3rd Edition. A Victorian study divided into regions - England, Wales, Scotland and the land of Miscellaneous... Hardcover. 4.5"x7", xviii + 208 pages.

Northend, Charles. Churchyard Literature; or Light Reading on Grave Subjects: being a collection of amusing, quaint, and curious Epitaphs. New York; Hurst & Company: 1881. Enlarged edition. The author says that he has compiled this volume from a variety of sources including two English books which he does not identify. A revised edition of his earlier work, "A Book of Epitaphs". Hardcover. 5"x7", 192 pages, several line illustrations. 

Northend, Charles. A Book of Epitaphs, Amusing, Curious, and Quaint; being Light Readings on Grave Subjects. To which are added a few pages of inscriptions deemed appropriate for use. New York; G.W. Carleton & Co.: 1873. The first edition of this popular book. The author says that he has compiled this volume from a variety of sources including two English books which he does not identify. An interesting collection despite the nagging feeling that the provenance of some of these isn't what it should be... Hardcover. 5"x7.5", 171 pages plus an 8 page catalog of books.

Norton, John. Historical Sketch of Copp's Hill Burying Ground with Inscriptions and Ye Ancient Epitaphs. Boston; John Norton: 1919. 15th Edition. A brief history of the grounds and notes on some of the stones. Softcover. 6"x9", 32 pages, 6 b/w plates.

 

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