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Cemeteries
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
- GenresHistory
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 13, 2010
3 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Keith Eggener
5 books1 followerKeith Eggener, PhD, associate professor of American art and architecture at the University of Missouri, lives in Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 29, 2014
This book is part of a series of illustrated books, and the topic of this group is architecture,design, and engineering. Cemeteries have facinated since I was quite young, but what truly interests me are the epitaphs. I find all other aspects of a cemetery quite interesting as well such as funereal art (winged cherubs, willow trees), styles (rural, memorial, family, military) and grave markers (wooden crosses, natural stone, monuments, mausoleums ). This book provides a complete history of cemeteries with many black and white photographs included and access to an online image library. A hobby of mine is going through old cemeteries and reading the epitaphs. A few years ago, my husband and I were up at The Finger Lakes in Upper New York State, and we came across an old cemetery. I ran to the cemetery while my husband went to get us ice cream. When he joined me, I pointed one small grave to him and read him the epitaph. The grave was of a very young girl, maybe 3 or 4, and the date was 1861, the beginning of the Cival War, a very sad time for Americans, but this epitaph showed how sadness was not only happening on the battlefield . It said," Do You Miss Me at Home? I found myself mumbling, " Yes.", and my husband said, "What?" and I pointed to the small child's grave marker. He agreed with me and when I looked at him, I had tears streaming down my face. Epitaphs are not always sad: some are extremely funny, but that is for another time. This is an excellent book gor anyone wishing to learn the history of cemeteries. 4 1/2 stars !
October 4, 2018
I enjoy visiting historic cemeteries, the most recent being the beautiful Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville KY, final resting place of Muhammad Ali and "Colonel" Sanders. This book is packed with info - photos of memorials accompanied by research detailing the history and customs of American burials. I learned among other interesting bits that the common arched tombstone is thought to convey the shape of a "door" into the afterlife.
December 16, 2017
great read!!! the pictures and history were great. I learned a lot more than I thought I would!!!
March 4, 2019
This book is a great starting place to get a visual overview of cemeteries in the United States. The photos are gorgeous and are accompanied by information about the history of our burial places.
July 27, 2011
This review originally appeared in the Graveyard Rabbits online journal
There are few public cultural institutions that I value more than the Library of Congress. Come to think of it, only the Smithsonian comes close! I can certainly support anything which states that its mission is:
… to develop qualitatively the Library's universal collections, which document the history and further the creativity of the American people and which record and contribute to the advancement of civilization and knowledge throughout the world, and to acquire, organize, provide access to, maintain, secure, and preserve these collections.
The LOC’s dedication to making their archives available to all is shown in a series published by Norton in conjunction with the Library’s Center for Architecture, Design and Engineering. Within the eight years, the nine titles of the Visual Sourcebooks series, from Barns to Public Markets, have rapidly become the standard references on their respective subjects. As with the other texts, the latest title Cemeteries draws on the LOC collections from the Historical American Building and Landscape Surveys to the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information photographs. (Norton Press and the LOC provide access to the images in the book on line at http://www.wwnorton.com/npb/loc/cemet....) The images used throughout the book, including the maps, are downloadable and may be used if the LOC’s copyright policy is followed.
I tried to imagine if it was an absolute joy or misery to work on this book; it must have been a bit of both. Cemetery books usually focus either on the architectural structures or on the history and form of the burial grounds. Given the depth each of these topics require, it is impressive that this book can be so comprehensive on both. For example, not only are the standard topics of chapels, mausolea and entrances covered, but the ironwork of gates and fencing is thoroughly treated as well.
The text of the book is understandably spare, and is largely confined to chapter introductions and explanations of the photographs. It is the images that carry the weight of the book, and through them, historical, geographical and cultural differences come to the fore with great clarity. For example, the chapter “Buildings and Other Architectural Elements” includes the crematory of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood as well as the Old and New Amphitheaters of Arlington. Seeing both interior and exterior shots of the nation’s first modern crematory (p. 190) one immediately understands that a new way of commemorating death has emerged. The design and décor of the crematory and columbarium themselves express the ideals of architectural modernism, mirroring the changing aspirations of the larger society.
The same can also be said of the Amphitheaters of Arlington. The Meigs designed Old Amphitheater (p. 192-3), built on the site of temporary stands used for the dedication of the cemetery itself, were originally Robert E. Lee’s gardens. The Ambulatory and Rostrum were designed to encourage a sense of contemplation and peace much needed a few short years after the Civil War. On the other hand, the Memorial Amphitheater (p. 194), authorized by Congress in 1913, with seating for up to 5,000 people, and the Tomb of the Unknowns adjacent, has a sense of grandeur befitting a nation on the verge of becoming a great world power. The structure is a solemn one, reminding us of how and why those memorialized within Arlington died.
To call this a “coffee table book” would fail to do it justice. Although that is certainly where it will be found in my house, it will soon become slightly tattered from eager use. Looking at the book I found myself marveling over the images created by some of America’s finest photographers. It does sadden me, however, that many of the photographs can no longer be reshot, as some the locations, markers and cultures represented here have disappeared. Eggener’s Cemeteries serve to remind us that when we photograph such places, we are not just making beautiful images, but producing historical documents that are themselves acts of commemoration.
There are few public cultural institutions that I value more than the Library of Congress. Come to think of it, only the Smithsonian comes close! I can certainly support anything which states that its mission is:
… to develop qualitatively the Library's universal collections, which document the history and further the creativity of the American people and which record and contribute to the advancement of civilization and knowledge throughout the world, and to acquire, organize, provide access to, maintain, secure, and preserve these collections.
The LOC’s dedication to making their archives available to all is shown in a series published by Norton in conjunction with the Library’s Center for Architecture, Design and Engineering. Within the eight years, the nine titles of the Visual Sourcebooks series, from Barns to Public Markets, have rapidly become the standard references on their respective subjects. As with the other texts, the latest title Cemeteries draws on the LOC collections from the Historical American Building and Landscape Surveys to the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information photographs. (Norton Press and the LOC provide access to the images in the book on line at http://www.wwnorton.com/npb/loc/cemet....) The images used throughout the book, including the maps, are downloadable and may be used if the LOC’s copyright policy is followed.
I tried to imagine if it was an absolute joy or misery to work on this book; it must have been a bit of both. Cemetery books usually focus either on the architectural structures or on the history and form of the burial grounds. Given the depth each of these topics require, it is impressive that this book can be so comprehensive on both. For example, not only are the standard topics of chapels, mausolea and entrances covered, but the ironwork of gates and fencing is thoroughly treated as well.
The text of the book is understandably spare, and is largely confined to chapter introductions and explanations of the photographs. It is the images that carry the weight of the book, and through them, historical, geographical and cultural differences come to the fore with great clarity. For example, the chapter “Buildings and Other Architectural Elements” includes the crematory of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood as well as the Old and New Amphitheaters of Arlington. Seeing both interior and exterior shots of the nation’s first modern crematory (p. 190) one immediately understands that a new way of commemorating death has emerged. The design and décor of the crematory and columbarium themselves express the ideals of architectural modernism, mirroring the changing aspirations of the larger society.
The same can also be said of the Amphitheaters of Arlington. The Meigs designed Old Amphitheater (p. 192-3), built on the site of temporary stands used for the dedication of the cemetery itself, were originally Robert E. Lee’s gardens. The Ambulatory and Rostrum were designed to encourage a sense of contemplation and peace much needed a few short years after the Civil War. On the other hand, the Memorial Amphitheater (p. 194), authorized by Congress in 1913, with seating for up to 5,000 people, and the Tomb of the Unknowns adjacent, has a sense of grandeur befitting a nation on the verge of becoming a great world power. The structure is a solemn one, reminding us of how and why those memorialized within Arlington died.
To call this a “coffee table book” would fail to do it justice. Although that is certainly where it will be found in my house, it will soon become slightly tattered from eager use. Looking at the book I found myself marveling over the images created by some of America’s finest photographers. It does sadden me, however, that many of the photographs can no longer be reshot, as some the locations, markers and cultures represented here have disappeared. Eggener’s Cemeteries serve to remind us that when we photograph such places, we are not just making beautiful images, but producing historical documents that are themselves acts of commemoration.
October 12, 2012
I'm not sure why this book is so expensive. Yes, it's full of black and white photographs, but really, $75? It's not worth that.
Assembled from the Library of Congress's photo archives, Cemeteries is a "visual sourcebook" of images of American graveyards taken by families, news photographers, stereograms, advertisers, and government agencies. Sections focus on gates, grave markers, mausoleums, and other details of graveyards -- which is what I bought the book for and it's most useful attribute.
Unfortunately, the author assembling the photos got lazy. Rather than show a variety of African Americans working in cemeteries across the country, he includes a series of photos of the same people in the same cemetery. I would've found comparison and contrast more interesting than depth, especially since the depth is at odds from the way the rest of the book is put together. The same cemeteries and photographers do keep coming up over and over more than is truly necessary in other sections, but "Comings and Goings in the Silent City" is the most repetitive. It's disappointing.
If you are a cemetery fanatic, you might need to have this book (if you can get it discounted on Amazon). The historical overview in the first section is particularly useful. The photos throughout lean toward documentary rather than art, but if you bring a fair amount of knowledge to the book, it will reward you, even as it frustrates you. It could have been really spectacular. Instead, it seems rushed.
Assembled from the Library of Congress's photo archives, Cemeteries is a "visual sourcebook" of images of American graveyards taken by families, news photographers, stereograms, advertisers, and government agencies. Sections focus on gates, grave markers, mausoleums, and other details of graveyards -- which is what I bought the book for and it's most useful attribute.
Unfortunately, the author assembling the photos got lazy. Rather than show a variety of African Americans working in cemeteries across the country, he includes a series of photos of the same people in the same cemetery. I would've found comparison and contrast more interesting than depth, especially since the depth is at odds from the way the rest of the book is put together. The same cemeteries and photographers do keep coming up over and over more than is truly necessary in other sections, but "Comings and Goings in the Silent City" is the most repetitive. It's disappointing.
If you are a cemetery fanatic, you might need to have this book (if you can get it discounted on Amazon). The historical overview in the first section is particularly useful. The photos throughout lean toward documentary rather than art, but if you bring a fair amount of knowledge to the book, it will reward you, even as it frustrates you. It could have been really spectacular. Instead, it seems rushed.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews