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The
Big Book Of Death |
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Big Sleep By Erica Orloff, Joann Baker Gramercy Comment from an anonymous asylum inmate: "I would like to recommend the book 'The Big Sleep true tales and twisted trivia about death.'It is a great book containing everything from the process of decomposition to last words to funny headstones. (My favorite is "Here I lay and no wonder I'm dead for the wheel of a wagon went over my head.") I found it at my local Hot Topic for under ten bucks ." (Not Yet Reviewed) |
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Alive by Jan Bondeson W. W. Norton & Co. A fascinating collection of historical accounts of people allegedly buried alive and the unusual steps that people went to combat the problem by developing curious ways of determining death, and curious contraptions within coffins to assist anyone who found themselves buried alive. Also recommended by Tetsubo "Buried Alive author Jan Bondeson's macabre history book includes urban legends and old-wives' tales along with a complete survey of death-discovery technology -– all delivered with a quietly wry sense of humor." (Wired News) NNNN - Terrifying Fun! |
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A History Of Man's Obsessions And Fears by Robert Wilkins Barnes & Noble Books This is one of my favorite books for culling morbid facts because it covers a broad range of obscure topics ranging from being buried alive to methods of embalming to rigor mortis. Filled with bizarre images, this one is a fascinating read from start to finish. NNNNN - A Dead Good Compilation |
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Hollywood Book Of Death by James Robert Parish McGraw-Hill Amazon description: "The death of a celebrity is often as fascinating as--and sometimes more fascinating than--a star's actual life. From the grisly end of Sharon Tate at the hands of the Manson family and the mysterious demise of Bob Crane to the peaceful passings of Lucille Ball and George Burns, The Hollywood Book of Death is a captivating and appealingly packaged volume of more than 125 television and movie stars' final curtain calls. Arranged in an encyclopedic approach by manner of death, these well-researched accounts include details of celebrities' colorful lives and unusual deaths, their funerals, and the intriguing aftermath. With more than 100 rare photographs and a special 'necrology'index of more than 6,000 stars and directors, along with a section revealing where Hollywood personalities are resting in eternal sleep, this enthralling reference promises to be on every film and television buff's 'Top 10' gift list." (Not Yet Reviewed) |
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| Secure
The Shadow: Death And Photography In America Jay Ruby The MIT Press If you saw the wonderful film "The Others" you were doubtlessly exposed to one of those gloriously macabre Victorian traditions: the Mortuary Photograph. Yes, those images featured in that splendid little "Book Of The Dead" were real images of deceased individuals taken in the 19th century by bereaved relatives. The images in the film were from the collection of Stanley Burns, whose long out-of-print collection, Sleeping Beauty, is considered the masterpiece of Mortuary Photography. However, if you - like The Comtesse - can't quite afford to shell out the $200.00 to $300.00 that Sleeping Beauty will cost you from most used bookstores, there is an alternative: Jay Ruby's Secure The Shadow. This excellent book may not pack the same photographic punch as Sleeping Beauty but the excellent text makes up for it. For many people in current times, the idea of photographing corpses and displaying them around the house seems unbearably morbid. However, Ruby does a good job of explaining the underlying philosophies of the time that made mortuary photography so popular. He uses newspaper clippings, old funerary photography advertisements, letters, and photographer's account books to explain the how theconnection between photography and death developed and continues to this day, in a somewhat altered form. But you don't really care about all that, do ya? You want to know if there are any good pictures of corpses. But of course!! Here's a taste of what you'll find in the book: "Sleeping Angels" More "Sleeping Angels" Definitely NOT "Sleeping" Angels Angels With Open Eyes Painted On Their Eyelids Two Ladies In Black - One Alive, One Less So... Grieving Depression Era Parents A Memorial Card A Rather Macabre Gravestone Image And so much more! This book has made me want to start perusing Ebay on a regular basis looking for vintage mortuary pics. It's a tremendous hobby, really - oh, and this is a very good book! All photographs are culled from "Secure The Shadow " and may not be reprinted without permission of the publisher... you know, the usual... NNNNN - Fascinating! |
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| Sleeping
Beauty II Stanley B. and Elizabeth A. Burns Burns Archive Press An absolutely brilliant collection of mortuary photography compiled by the one and only Stanley Burns. The collection is wide-ranging and the photographs range from bland to poignant to artistic to anthropological to fascinating to creepy with stops at all points in between. This collection compiles the original set of images originally released in the hard-to-find and long out-of-print first edition (Sleeping Beauty), and the images are well-known from their inclusion as part of the "Book of the Dead" in the brilliant movie The Others. Burns documents as much as is known about each photograph, littering his commentary with insightful anthropological details that explain the motivation behind the images, and their supreme importance to the people who had them taken. An extraordinary work. NNNNN - A Morbid Beauty |
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| Stiff by Mary Roach W.W. Norton & Company Recommended by Wendigo From the Publisher: "An oddly compelling, often hilarious forensic exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them." Asylum Inmate Keith says: "I recommend 'Stiff...'. Although not as gruesome as you might want, it is amusing and includes chapters such as: A Head is A Terrible Thing to Waste, How to Know if You are Dead, and Eat Me. " Alena says: "Quite an interesting read, made even more amusing by the author's admitted squeamishness about the subject." Lexi agrees: "It is sososo fascinating and funny but maintains its class, and respect for the dead! I definitely recommend it for anyone who has morbid fascinations--you should add it to the library!" Zephyr agrees: "I recently finished a book entitled Stiff by Mary Roach, and just had to recommend it. It is a very detailed account of what happens to the body after death, with an emphasis on those generous souls who donate their cadavers to science. I enjoyed the book for its full scope (the details of decay, corpse crash tests and other delightful little experiments, plus lots of history! Those darn resurrectionists!) but also for the dark sense of humor Roach displays towards her subject, perhaps making this book readable for those who aren't quite depraved. Of course, it made me love reading it even more, so who's to say?" NNNNN - Puts the 'Fun' Back In 'Funeral'! |
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Deaths Compiled by Paul Sieveking and Ian Simmons (Barnes & Noble) This is a slim compilation of short summaries of the bizarre manners in which people have been killed over the years. It's a fun read, but it's sullied by the lazy manner in which the information is presented - short on historical detail or documentation to support the facts. The authors make no excuses and admit upfront that some of the items listed may be less than factual, which is something I can't forgive in a book like this. If only they'd taken the time to actually check out the stories, so that I knew that was I was reading was true, it would be so much more meaningful. Alas... N - Underdocumented To Death |
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Death Trip By Michael Lesy (University of New Mexico Press) "The pictures you're about to see are of people who were once actually alive." So begins historian Michael Lesy's masterpiece - a by turns touching and disturbing examination of life and death in a small Wisconsin town during the final 15 years of the nineteenth century. Lesy stumbled across a cache of 30,000 glass plate images made by a local town photographer named Charley Van Schaick and spools of microfilm from the local newspaper - and combined the most compelling of these images and newspaper excerpts to create a vivid examination of Victorian prairie life. Although there are numerous post-mortem memorial photographs to add morbid appeal to the book, the newspaper and insane asylum excerpts are what I find absolutely enthralling. If ever anyone tries to suggest to you that times were better "before", you might want to refer them to these matter-of-fact tales of murder, suicide, insanity, and lethal pestilence. Death was a constant threat and entire families of 6 children could be wiped out by diptheria in a matter of days. It's no wonder that so many were driven to suicide: the depth of despair that these people must have gone through is at times palpable. To give you an idea of the sort of macabre fascinations you can find in these olde newspapers, here are some excerpts: "The 60 year old wife of a farmer in Jackson, Washington County, killed herself by cutting her throat with a sheep shears" "Mrs. James Baty... died suddenly of a hemorrhage of the lungs. She leaves a husband, her family of 6 children having died of diptheria last summer" "Mrs. John Larson... drowned her 3 children in Lake St. Croix during a fit of insanity... Mrs. Larson imagines that devils pursue her" And my personal favorite: "Mrs. Carter... was taken sick at the marsh last week and fell down, sustaining internal injuries which have dethroned her reason. She has been removed to her home here and a few nights since arose from her bed and ran through the woods... A night or two after she was found trying to strangle herself with a towel... It is hoped the trouble is only temporary and that she may soon recover her mind" You don't see entries like that in newspapers anymore!! NNNNN - The Comtesse's Favorite Book! |
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Browser's Book of Endings : The End of Practically Everything and
Everybody by Charles Panati (Penguin USA) Recommended by Magdalene: "Almost any book by Charles Panati will have some tidbit that may be to your liking, but in particular I recommend [this one]." |
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| Cannibalism:
From Sacrifice To Survival by Hans Askenasy, Ph.D. (Prometheus Books) Recommended by gabby17: "I thought you guys would find this book of interest. Here is an excerpt which you might like: 'The Nigerian Bafum-Bansaw tortured their prisoners before killing them by using bellows to pump boiling palm oil into their bowels and stomachs to make the meat juicier; at other times they pumped oil into a carcass and left it to marinate. Indonesian cannibals were partial to the soles. Roasted over hot ashes the penis was regarded as a great dish by some.'" |
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| Death:
A User's Guide by Tom Hickman (Delta) Recommended by Kezia: "I don't know if you've come across this little book or not, but if you haven't you'll definitely have to check it out!! It's called Death: A User's Guide and you can find it on Amazon." |
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The Trip Of A Lifetime by Greg Palmer (DIANE Publishing Co.) Recommended by Jools: "The first line on the back of the book says it all: "Who said the Reaper has to be grim?" This delightfully different "travelogue" follows one man's quest to discover how people everywhere cope with the incontrovertible fact of death. A laugh-a-minute examination of death rituals and customs around the world and throughout time. One imagines the writer with a smile curled constantly on his lips, even as he writes of vampires, near-death experiences, suicide, burial methods, heaven and hell. With chapter names like 'Deathstyles of the Rich and Famous' and 'Getting Rid of the Body,' how can you go wrong? This guy is hilarious, and at the same time imparts a lot very interesting and, most importantly, non-fictional information." |
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Grim Reaper's Book of Days : A Cautionary Record of Famous, Infamous,
and Unconventional Exits by Ed Morrow (Citadel Press) Recommended by Zack: "I was practically weaned on this book, it was a gift from my mother. It details the deaths of famous folk, and also people who were unlucky enough to not see it coming and get crushed by a Coke machine. Either way, it could provide great material for your site. Example: 'City Park West Municipal Golf Course, New Orleans. Michael Scaglione, 26, was on the thirteenth hole when he made a bad shot. He furiously hurled the club against his golf cart. The club broke in two, and the club head whirled back, its sharp shaft stabbing him in the neck. Scaglione's jugular vein was severed. He might have survived, but he pulled the club head from his neck, letting his blood flow unhindered. He soon died.' Great stuff." Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but can still be picked up used... |
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Hour of Our Death by Phillippe Aries (Oxford University Press) Recommended by Lily: "This is a massive volume, which outlines 1,000 years of Westerners attitudes towards and customs involving Death. I myself have not finished reading it, but it is indeed fascinating thus far. A few pictures of tombs and cemeteries, and chapter headings such as The Living Dead and Tombs and Epitaphs, which may give you a taste of what is discussed within." |
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Lazarus Syndrome: Burial Alive & Other Horrors of the Undead by Rodney Davies Recommended by Allyson: "As the name implies, it's filled with stories of living burials and Mr. Davies' notes on the fascinating process of death on the cellular level. Having piqued my interest, it proved to reawaken the macabre me and hence, to seek out your website. Please see for yourself!" |
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| They
Died Crawling & Other Tales of Cleveland Woe by John S. Bellamy (Gray & Co.) Recommended by Carrie Proeschel: "Horror and Tragedy in Cleveland! What could be better! The book examines several cases of death and trauma with a witty storytelling style. It features photos and old excerpts from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The author also wrote The Maniac in the Bushes and The Corpse in the Cellar. Both are further studies of tragedy in Cleveland but I have yet to read these! Enjoy!"ell worth the $75.00 pricetag! |
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Went That-A-Way: How the Famous, the Infamous, and the Great Died
by Malcolm Forbes (Ballentine Books) Recommended by Maynard: "I don't recall if you have mentioned this book before, but it is pretty interesting. The subject is how famous (and infamous) people have died. One particular story caught my eye - the death of Isadora Duncan. She was one of the world's most famous dancers. She died on Sept. 14, 1927 from a broken neck. She got into a Bugatti race car wearing a scarf that was a little too long - when the car started off, the tail end of the scarf wrapped around a wheel and yanked her out of the car, snapping her neck and dragging her for several yards before the driver realized what had happened. The day before she died, she had told a reporter, 'Now I'm frightened that some quick accident may happen.'" |
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| Thoughts
on the Death of Little Children by Samuel Irenaeus Prime (Scholarly Publishing Office) Recommended by VoodooMarie: "I found very possibly the darkest book the other day. It's entitled 'The Death of Little Children', and was written in 1856, so unless you're lucky, you probably won't be able to find a copy. If nothing else it is a dark look into a time when infant mortality was high and deaths were expected. What makes this little gem fascinating is the fact that it contains such rational for a child's death as: 'The creature so dear to you may have been taken from sad reverse of fourtune, or from the commission of some great crime, which might have endangered his salvation. To secure this, God has removed him from temptation.' As a parent, that would be the last thing I would want to hear. The rest of the book is filled with hymns and poetry designed to reconcile the parental soul to the death of its child. The author was Samuel Irenaeus Prime, and the copy of the book I have is a fourth edition, which means that this genre had a market. I thought you might appreciate hearing about this example." |
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| What
Happens When You Die: From Your Last Breath To The First Spadeful by Robert T. Hatch (Birch Lane Pr) Recommended by Nedejkovic: "Robert T. Hatch wrote it and it's pretty true to detail, although the print is reminiscent of typed out recipe cards. Fairly accurate descriptions of embalming, cremation, details of interment, different funeral customs, etc. Nicely told story of death, from first call (removal of remains), arterial embalming, cavity treatment, cosmetology, casketing, burial,etc. Only downside, no pictures whatsoever, oh well can't have it all!" |
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Remains by Sally Mann (Bulfinch Press) Recommended by Patricia who stumbled across an article which previews this new collection of photography by Sally Mann that has a delightfully morbid bent: http://www.msnbc.com/news/959370.asp |
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Shocking Suggestions... |
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