Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards (Messages from the Dead)

I heard the author on a Jim Harold podcast. She is a wonderful writer who has put together a great encyclopedic reference to the symbols that appear on gravestones. It is small enough to carry with you if you decide to walk through a cemetery during the spooky season.

I have always been fascinated with old cemeteries so I was glad to find this book that explains in more detail some of the things I’ve seen before. It has pictures and is organized well. Highly recommend for anyone like me who loves to visit cemeteries.

This book has so much info about cemetery markers and what they all mean. Great to carry on a walk thru and very interesting.Got it for my friend who loves reading grave stones!

A great book for genealogists who research cemeteries! This book covers all the things you need when you find interesting cemetary headstones.My only concern is that on pages 62-63, the author shares a chart of US government emblems that may appear on headstone. Unfortunately, the names of each symbol is so small that it's very hard to read.

Good book with good information.

I love exploring old cemeteries or even older sections of cemeteries and this book is so full of information. It answered questions like it had read my mind. Highly recommend!

I was so excited about this book but it’s hard to read because some of the text is pixelated especially under the photos and symbols. Super disappointed.

This is an invaluable guide to writers and researchers as well as amateur taphophiles (okay, I admit, I had to look that word up). The chapters such as "Why Symbols Matter," "Cemetery Safety and Etiquette," and "Cemetery Architecture" are well organized so if you have a particular interest or question, you can easily flip to the page and find the needed information.One aspect I found interesting in this book was the way symbols change over time and wane in popularity. Also, the same symbol can assume altered significance depending on its depiction, culture, or religion. For instance, the book--always of interest to the writer in me--on a gravestone carries several different meanings. A closed book means the deceased lived a long life (as in long enough to finish the last page). Conversely, an open book means the person's life was cut short. And an open book with a draped cloth over it "represents the veil of death cutting a life short before the final page of the deceased person's life was written" (181).Understanding Cemetery Symbols is a guide that will appeal to anyone interested in history, historical cemeteries, or symbols. I'm placing my copy on my reference shelf for easy access.

This book give me a better outlook on Victorian head stones and what certain symbols mean.

Great research guide. A terrific reference for the curious!

This book explains the meaning of symbols used in grave monuments in a simple, well organised manner.If you are researching your family history it may be very useful if you visit cemeteries and graveyards as part of your labours. It is focussed on the American reader but much of it applies to Britain as well.A few typos.

This is a very interesting and well researched book. Easy to read but full of some great facts that you wouldn't even consider when strolling around graveyards.

Great Book!Love the breakdown and easy to read set up