Death and the Afterlife — A Cultural Encyclopedia

This encyclopedia focuses on mythical ideas of death and the afterlife; cultural traditions concerning death, dying and the afterlife; religious and ethnic funeral rites around the world; and customs and ceremonies for the dead. Taylor (religious studies, U. of California-Berkeley) aims his work at a general, but thinking audience. He assumes little background in comparative religion, folklore, history, archaeology, or linguistics, and he's used popular translations of classics rather than scholarly editions. The entries are thoughtfully written, and the topics are treated with context in mind that is, their links to other traditions in the same and other cultures are described. Each entry contains cross-references and a bibliography, and arrangement is alphabetical. Indexing is in depth, and some b&w illustrations are included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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