Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia

This cultural encyclopedia examines customs and beliefs relating to death and burial in clear, well written articles covering most major religious and cultural traditions from prehistoric to modern times.

Readers of Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia will find that spending time with death is life-giving in most cultures today and throughout history. The Underworld, whether the Greek Hades or the Chinese Yellow Springs, is not just a repository of the dead, but the source of fertility, wealth, and hidden wisdom bestowed only upon the adventurous who cross the border between this world and the next.

This comprehensive reference work contains hundreds of entries on the sometimes obscure, complicated, and mysterious (but always fascinating) funeral customs of dozens of cultures. More than a gathering of information, this reference draws out the underlying meaning of funeral and afterlife traditions. Each entry is extensively documented and includes the insights of thoughtful native authors and commentaries directly related to the cultural topic at hand. A topic finder by culture, a bibliography, an index, and primary source references are included.

Author: Richard P. Taylor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 12/13/2000
Pages: 488
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.92lbs
Size: 11.00h x 8.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780874369397

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 01/01/2001 pg. 94
Booklist 03/01/2001 pg. 1319
Choice 06/01/2001 pg. 1768
American Reference Bks Annual 01/01/2001 pg. 353

About the Author

Richard P. Taylor teaches courses on burial and the afterlife at University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA and is an expert in religious studies.