222 Cemeteries to See Before You Die

by Loren Rhoads

Perfect for budding cemetery armchair travelers and serious taphophiles, this hauntingly beautiful guide to the world's most interesting and unusual cemeteries has been revised and updated to include 23 additional locations.  Every year, millions of tourists flock to cemeteries around the globe to uncover hidden stories of their residents and admire the incredible architecture, stunning landscapes, and even wildlife in these open-air museums.   In this lavishly photographic bucket list of the world’s most interesting cemeteries, author Loren Rhoads, who hosts the popular Cemetery Travel blog, details the history, eye-catching monuments, and other fascinating finds that make each destination unique. Entries include unforgettable cemeteries such as the Mount Koya cemetery in Japan, where 10,000 lanterns illuminate the forest setting; Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery which hosts gorgeous night tours of the Southern Gothic tombstones under moss-covered trees; and Il Cimitero Acattolico in Rome that is the final resting place of young poets John Keats and Percy Shelley.   Whether you are a true taphophile (cemetery enthusiast) who seeks out obscure locations or a tourist who likes to incorporate not-to-be-missed cemeteries like Paris's Pere Lachaise and Arlington National Cemetery into your itinerary, 222 Cemeteries to See Before You Die is both a useful trip-planning tool and a browser's delight. 

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Death

272 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

About the author

Loren Rhoads is author of 222 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel, and its sequel Still Wish You Were Here: More Adventures in Cemetery Travel.

Loren is also author of This Morbid Life, a morbid memoir, and Unsafe Words, the first full-length collection of her edgy, award-winning stories.

She's the co-author of Lost Angels and its sequel Angelus Rose. She's also author of the space opera In the Wake of the Templars trilogy: The Dangerous Type, Kill By Numbers, and No More Heroes.

Finally, she's editor of Tales for the Camp Fire, which raised money for survivors of 2018's devastating wildfire in Butte County, California.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This covered a lot of ground - I was hoping for a little more detail on each location, but it was still a good read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded my expectations. I expected lovely photos and maybe some simple explanations/captions. It did have gorgeous photos. But it also had detailed history for each site. This is so much more than a travel planning guide. It’s a look at humanity and our history through a very specific lens. It was utterly fascinating, and I learned so much. I was so excited and engaged while reading this, that I stopped to tell my spouse a little bit about at least half of the sites included in this list. I highly recommend this book - whether you love the macabre, traveling, sociology, anthropology, and/or history, I doubt you’ll be disappointed in this read!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about cemeteries because there’s so much history. Every culture deals with death in a different way and it’s absolutely fascinating to me to read about how cemeteries have changed over time. The author also takes the time to discuss historical events that may have impacted the grave site and highlight short bios of famous individuals who are buried there.

[Chellby Kilheffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is what it seems to be, but I found it dry. I'm not sure how the author chose the cemeteries they did because some do not seem to have anything remarkable to share. I also would appreciate more pictures of the areas / headstones shared in the text. maybe this just wasn't for me.

[Hadiqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good coffee table book. Been to several of the cemeteries mentioned in the book.

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

222 Cemeteries to see before you die.

This is a really handsome book with a lovely cover and is a follow-up to the author’s much loved previous book, ‘199 Cemeteries To See Before You Die.’ In this book there are an additional 23 cemeteries although I’m sure that the author, Loren Rhoads, could have included many more.
In the introduction, the author discusses the attraction of cemeteries such as the wildlife that use them, the landscaping, their history and who is buried there amongst others. She also adds the caveat that:
‘any list of gravesites is idiosyncratic and reflects the collector’s fascinations and eccentricities.’
Each short essay is accompanied by gorgeous colour photos. The scope of the book is wide and covers the USA, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, Central and South America and the Caribbean. It led to an incredibly diverse selection of burial places and also revealed the different ways in which cultures deal with their dead as not all of them believe in having a permanent memorial. Also, the burials on battlefields as at Gettysburg where there was no way of identifying the fallen and so many are buried as ‘Unknown’.
It's not just the famous and infamous that are featured but also the pioneers, the settlers, the Native Americans, indigenous people, the slaves and the immigrants who became permanent residents.
In addition, there are other types of cemeteries: pet cemeteries, Saxon burial grounds, Elvis’s last resting place in Graceland, an AIDS memorial and many others. There are also beautiful examples of cemetery carvings and statuary in each essay as well as some intriguing epitaphs. At Boot Hill cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona, Lester Moore’s states:
‘Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44. No Les no more.’
Very succinct to say the least. And from the same cemetery, an epitaph to George Johnson who was hanged for purportedly stealing a horse that he had actually legally purchased:
‘Here lies George Johnson, hanged by mistake. He was right. We was wrong. We strung him up and now he’s gone.’
I have visited some of the cemeteries in this book and would like to visit all of them! At last I know the location of the last resting place of Col Sanders of KFC fame, Edgar Allen Poe and the eerie Turning Angel.
‘222 Cemeteries To See Before You Die’ is a real labour of love and would be a good introduction to the world of cemeteries. It’s also inspirational and aspirational for the more experienced taphophiles like myself!

[Valpopress Bookstore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent coffee table book. It's filled with gorgeous pictures from cemeteries around the world. The explanations of the monuments featured are detailed in way that's more than just informational, they bring the book to life. Many of these featured places I have on my bucket list and the descriptions, along with the images, have only solidified my desire of traveling to see these in person. It's a fantastic centerpiece for conversations and reasonably priced for the quality of the book.

[Jim Blessing · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I've been in numerous cementaries, that was mainly to take pictures of famous people's graves. While several cementaries were quite beautiful, this book was not that interesting to me.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the elaborate cemetery (Taj Mahal) to the run-down one, this book offers a fascinating look at the world's final resting places.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was really interesting second half not as much.Overall would give it 3.5

[William Carliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Info learned a lot, will take out again. Wallingford Library Card holder and soon to be a member.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is definitely interesting. My sister suggested this book to me.