The History of Death: Burial Customs and Funeral Rites, from the Ancient World to Modern Times

In the bestselling tradition of Stiff, this book expands on the subject of death, traveling across continents and centuries to reveal how distinctively various cultures react to the human's final act. From the medieval French funerals of kings and the Sudanese Danka burying alive its “masters of the spear” to the great Berawan tombs of Borneo and the catacombs of Paris, Kerrigan shares fascinating details of death that are as revealing as details of the living. A rich and comprehensive history of the world, with photos and illustrations throughout, from a wonderful storyteller.

Michael Kerrigan is a London historian who writes for the Times and the Scotsman, and is currently editing the Reader's Digest Illustrated History of the World.

He writes regularly for the Scotsman, Edinburgh, and the Times Literary Supplement, London, and is currently co-editing the Illustrated History of the World for Reader's Digest.