Cemeteries (Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks) - Hardcover

Eggener PhD, Keith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393731693 ISBN 13: 9780393731699

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010

Synopsis

A bountifully illustrated exploration of the cemetery in American landscape and narrative.

The newest book in the Norton/Library of Congress takes readers on a visual journey from early churchyards and family plots to the establishment of the nation's first rural cemeteries of the nineteenth century, to the expansive memorial parks and 'green' burials of today. With more than 600 archival photographs and plans that shed light on the great diversity of burial structures and traditions, this comprehensive sourcebook introduces readers to cemeteries' impressive diversity.

Cemeteries examines the extent to which burial grounds of all kinds have held a significant place in our culture. The history and development of cemeteries are limned throughout , from the burial grounds themselves - reflecting a wide variety of ethnic and social groups from almost every state as well as American military cemeteries - to the vast array of related practices and traditions. The intricacy of the various architectural structures (burial chapels, private mausoleums, crematories, and the ironwork of cemetery gates) are examined and placed upon the historical timeline of our nation.

650 black-and-white photographs

About this title

About the Author:

Keith Eggener, PhD, associate professor of American art and architecture at the University of Missouri, lives in Columbia.

Review:

“[A] stunning visual feast....The book opens with a short essay by Keith Eggener that sets the bar for excellence in this kind of writing: Eggener doesn’t lapse into academese, nor does he go into the details of the photography and photographers. He sticks to laying the groundwork for the reader to understand the many pictures that follow....[A] wonderful and insightful selection of photographs.”
- Englewood Review of Books

“Fascinating...”
- Plan Philly

“Stately and moving.”
- Book News

“[A]n entirely worthy edition to the superb collection of visual sourcebooks by the Library of Congress...a rich education on the changing nature of burial space in the United States.... [T]akes the study of cemeteries particularly beyond the architectural-historical.... Overall, this is an invaluable package.”
- The Victorian (UK)

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0393731693
• ISBN 13: 9780393731699
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320