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Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear
Readers of Edgar Allan Poe's tales—just think of The Premature Burial—may comfort themselves with the notion that Poe must have exaggerated: surely people of the 1800s could not have been at risk of being buried alive? But such stories filled medical journals as well as fiction, and fear in the populace was high. It was speculated, from the number of skeletons found in horrific, contorted positions inside their coffins, that ten out of every one hundred people were buried before they were dead. With over fifty illustrations, Buried Alive explores the medicine, folklore, history, and literature of Europe and the United States to uncover why such fears arose and whether they were warranted.
"A weird and wonderful little tome."—Salon.com "Bondeson weaves a strange disturbing, and weirdly enthralling tale. Cremation never sounded so good."—Lingua Franca "A most useful and entertaining book....Deserves a place on every bedside table in America."—Patrick McGrath, author of Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution
"A weird and wonderful little tome."—Salon.com "Bondeson weaves a strange disturbing, and weirdly enthralling tale. Cremation never sounded so good."—Lingua Franca "A most useful and entertaining book....Deserves a place on every bedside table in America."—Patrick McGrath, author of Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution
322 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
24 people are currently reading
2372 people want to read
About the author
Jan Bondeson
41 books62 followersOutside of his career in medicine, he has written several nonfiction books on a variety of topics, such as medical anomalies and unsolved murder mysteries.
Bondeson is the biographer of a predecessor of Jack the Ripper, the London Monster, who stabbed fifty women in the buttocks, of Edward 'the Boy' Jones, who stalked Queen Victoria and stole her underwear, and Greyfriars Bobby, a Scottish terrier who supposedly spent 14 years guarding his master's grave.
He is currently working as a senior lecturer and consultant rheumatologist at the Cardiff University School of Medicine.
(from Wikipedia)
Bondeson is the biographer of a predecessor of Jack the Ripper, the London Monster, who stabbed fifty women in the buttocks, of Edward 'the Boy' Jones, who stalked Queen Victoria and stole her underwear, and Greyfriars Bobby, a Scottish terrier who supposedly spent 14 years guarding his master's grave.
He is currently working as a senior lecturer and consultant rheumatologist at the Cardiff University School of Medicine.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
May 23, 2024
Cilvēka dziļākās bailes esot tikt apēstam un tikt apraktam dzīvam. Zinot, ka nāve ir kaut kas tāds, kas piemeklēs mūs visus (atvainojiet par spoileri!), jautājums, kas ar mums notiek pēc nāves, ir saistošs visiem. Ko tik cilvēki nav darījuši, lai būtu droši, ka netiek aprakti dzīvi - zārki ar zvaniņiem un gaisa padevi, pagaidu morgi, dīvaini rituāli utt.
December 23, 2008
I enjoyed this cultural history of the fear of being buried alive, the often-foggy definitions of death (and methods of determining death) through the ages, and the scientific methods developed to ensure that individuals weren't buried alive. I was a little frustrated with the organization of the book, though. Bondeson starts out with horrifying stories of people being buried alive, and then goes directly into the historical reasons people might have had reason to fear live burial. This is all very interesting; doctors often weren't available to confirm that a patient was dead, so a comatose patient with a faint heartbeat might easily be mistaken for dead by family members. Moreover, doctors themselves weren't always certain how to define death, since patients sometimes revived after apparently ceasing respiratory and cardiovascular function (this was particularly a problem in the days before stethoscopes). Bondeson then moves back into tales of live burials, or near-live burials. It seems it wasn't unheard of for individuals to revive while being prepared for burial, which of course led to fears of people reviving AFTER burial. This led in some countries, like Germany, to the construction of death houses, where corpses were kept until clear signs of putrefecation were seen, and where they were linked to complex alarm systems that would alert watchmen to a corpses revival (of course, given a corpse's tendency to shift as it putrefies, there were many false alarms...). From the death house of Munich we move to patented survival coffins with alarms, and various other instruments sold to the paranoid.
Then, FINALLY, Bondeson comes back to the question of whether people were really being buried alive. The answer? Probably not, or at least not often, and it's even less likely that people were waking up in their coffins. He finally examines the reasons that observers might assume disinterred corpses had been buried alive, and discredits most of the scare stories. I found this sort of tease kind of annoying, since his introduction is filled with so many lurid tales that he never thoroughly examines until the end of the book.
Overall, this is a pretty good book, though, and it's some fascinating history.
Then, FINALLY, Bondeson comes back to the question of whether people were really being buried alive. The answer? Probably not, or at least not often, and it's even less likely that people were waking up in their coffins. He finally examines the reasons that observers might assume disinterred corpses had been buried alive, and discredits most of the scare stories. I found this sort of tease kind of annoying, since his introduction is filled with so many lurid tales that he never thoroughly examines until the end of the book.
Overall, this is a pretty good book, though, and it's some fascinating history.
July 27, 2016
There are many tales of being buried alive in times gone by that would make your blood run cold! This book tells of these stories and the methods used by different countries to try and prevent any accidental internment of a living soul. From the 1600's right up until the late 19th century people had a morbid fear of being buried alive. The book shows many pictures of the various ingenuous and sometimes downright impractical contraptions that were invented for the purpose. Many different countries built huge mortuary buildings and Germany in particular seems to have had a morbid fascination with such things. Many different methods were used to try and verify that a person was actually dead and some of these were so unpleasant that the person would not have wanted to be alive and suffer the test. Other tests were downright ridiculous and, even though it was a serious book, I found myself laughing whilst reading it.
Many of the blood curdling stories have no verification and seem to have been adapted and uses all of the world to fit in with the local folk lore, little was changed except for names although the stories often got more 'embroidered as they went along'.
The only thing that I found a little tedious was the repetitive nature of the book; the stories were told about someone in, maybe, France and then retold about someone in Germany. This happened many times over and I got a bit bored. Otherwise an interesting book to read. I have been reading a little at a time over quite a long period of time.
Many of the blood curdling stories have no verification and seem to have been adapted and uses all of the world to fit in with the local folk lore, little was changed except for names although the stories often got more 'embroidered as they went along'.
The only thing that I found a little tedious was the repetitive nature of the book; the stories were told about someone in, maybe, France and then retold about someone in Germany. This happened many times over and I got a bit bored. Otherwise an interesting book to read. I have been reading a little at a time over quite a long period of time.
July 24, 2008
This book was not bad. It was certainly interesting, though Bondeson's writing often strayed into uninteresting territory. The amount of repetition was extraordinary, almost mind boggling at times. The same cases, discussed over and over. I admit I’ve never given much thought to premature burial. I guess when they say I’m dead I figure they’ll be right. The final two chapters, one on whether people were once buried alive, the other on whether people are still buried alive, seemed like the happy ending Bondeson subtly ridiculed in the (overly long) chapter on premature burial in literature. But he does a decent job of explaining the reasonable concerns and, if one closes one’s eyes and pictures waking up in a coffin, six feet underground or sealed in a burial vault (based on your family's relative wealth) it’s chilling enough, regardless. Definitely interesting and definitely worth the sometimes difficult read.
April 2, 2009
Very amusing read for such a macabre subject. I was fascinated and yet disgusted by the history of Germany's "death houses". The many bizarre inventions created to avoid being buried alive were laughable and torturous. Well-written...I also read Stiff and found it to be just as good or better in terms of tone and readability.
May 17, 2016
Bailes pamosties zārkā dzīvam esot cilvēku prātus nomoka jau daudzus gadsimtus. Iespējams, ka kopš pašas cilvēces pirmsākumiem. Šī tematika mūsdienās tiek apspēlēta daudzos literāros darbos, filmās un šad tad par to varam lasīt arī kādā avīzē – tās gan parasti nosaukumā satur vārdu „sensācija”. Jāatzīst arī manu prātu šī tēma laiku pa laikam nodarbināja, tādēļ nolēmu izlasīt šo grāmatu.
Grāmata ir diezgan nopietns pētījums par bailēm tikt apraktam dzīvam. Tajā tiek apskatīti gadījumi, kad cilvēki atmodušies jau zem zemes. Lielākā daļa no šiem gadījumiem gan ir tautas un žurnālistu izdomāti. Pamatīgi tiek apskatīta problemātika, kas saistīta ar cilvēka nāves brīža noteikšanu. Kā pateikt, vai cilvēks ir dzīvs vai jau miris. Mūsdienās tas ir samērā viegli, lai arī diskusija joprojām turpinās.
Viduslaikos drošākā metode bija līķi iepūdēt. Tādēļ mūsdienu Vācijas teritorijā tika izveidoti tā saucamie Līķu nami, kur mironi ievietoja līdz tas sāka trūdēt. Jāatzīmē, ka neskatoties uz to, ka caur šādiem institūtiem cauri izgāja ~50’000 līķu, neviens tā arī neatdzīvojās. Tika izmantotas arī daudz kuriozākās metodes dzīvības noteikšanai – iedurt noasinātu zīmuli degunā, ar īpašu aparātu raustīt aizgājēja mēli 3 stundas, griezt pēdas ar bārdas nazi vai iedurt sirdī adatu.
Vesela nodaļa tiek veltīta patentētu ierīču apskatam, kas cilvēkam nonākot šādā situācijā palīdzētu sveikam un veselam atgriezties uz zemes virsas. Standarta risinājums ir zārki aprīkoti ar zvaniem, signālkarogiem, ventilāciju, rezerves izeju utml.
Lasīšanas vērtas ir arī nodaļas, kas pastāsta mums kā tad ir radusies leģenda par dzīvi aprakto. Pasaulē cirkulē 3 galvenie leģendas paveidi.
Pirmais „Sieviete ar gredzenu”– nomirst bagāta jaunkundze, kura tiek aprakta vai ielikta kapličā. Viņai uz pirksta ir palicis dārgs gredzens, kaprači to ievērojuši naktī dodas mirušo aplaupīt. Tomēr, kad gredzens tiek vilkts nost no pirksta vai pirksts nogriezts, sieviete atmostas no miega. Parasti viens no laupītājiem nomirst no izbīļa, Nāve nevar aiziet tukšā.
Otrais „Miesaskārīgais mūks” – stāstiņš ar nelielu nekrofilijas piedevu. Nomirst jauna meita. Un kāds ceļojošs mūks tiek palūgts viņu naktī apstāvēt. Tomēr mūks nenoturas un stājas ar mironi seksuālos sakaros. No rīta šamais aizceļo tālāk, bet sieviete vēl pēc kāda laika atmostas no nāves miega. Pēc deviņiem mēnešiem mūks atkal iet garām šim ciemam un atklāj, ka sievietei piedzimis bērns. Nodarītajā atzīstas un apprecas. Happy end.
Trešais „Paviršais anatoms”- mirušajam kļūdaini tiek diagnosticēta nāves iestāšanās. Cilvēks, kas veic sekciju pēc krūšu kurvja atvēršanas konstatē, ka sirds vēl pukst. Vai arī iegriežot, šķietami mirušais sāk bļaut utt. – pilna vaļa fantāzijai.
Grāmatu ieteiktu izlasīt visiem, sarakstīta tiešām labi. Vietām gan autors ieslīgst pārāk dziļās detaļās. Man garlaicīga šķita sadaļa, kas veltīta 19-20 gs. polemikai par Līķu namu ieviešanas lietderību. Grāmatu vērtēju ar 10 no 10 ballēm.
Grāmata ir diezgan nopietns pētījums par bailēm tikt apraktam dzīvam. Tajā tiek apskatīti gadījumi, kad cilvēki atmodušies jau zem zemes. Lielākā daļa no šiem gadījumiem gan ir tautas un žurnālistu izdomāti. Pamatīgi tiek apskatīta problemātika, kas saistīta ar cilvēka nāves brīža noteikšanu. Kā pateikt, vai cilvēks ir dzīvs vai jau miris. Mūsdienās tas ir samērā viegli, lai arī diskusija joprojām turpinās.
Viduslaikos drošākā metode bija līķi iepūdēt. Tādēļ mūsdienu Vācijas teritorijā tika izveidoti tā saucamie Līķu nami, kur mironi ievietoja līdz tas sāka trūdēt. Jāatzīmē, ka neskatoties uz to, ka caur šādiem institūtiem cauri izgāja ~50’000 līķu, neviens tā arī neatdzīvojās. Tika izmantotas arī daudz kuriozākās metodes dzīvības noteikšanai – iedurt noasinātu zīmuli degunā, ar īpašu aparātu raustīt aizgājēja mēli 3 stundas, griezt pēdas ar bārdas nazi vai iedurt sirdī adatu.
Vesela nodaļa tiek veltīta patentētu ierīču apskatam, kas cilvēkam nonākot šādā situācijā palīdzētu sveikam un veselam atgriezties uz zemes virsas. Standarta risinājums ir zārki aprīkoti ar zvaniem, signālkarogiem, ventilāciju, rezerves izeju utml.
Lasīšanas vērtas ir arī nodaļas, kas pastāsta mums kā tad ir radusies leģenda par dzīvi aprakto. Pasaulē cirkulē 3 galvenie leģendas paveidi.
Pirmais „Sieviete ar gredzenu”– nomirst bagāta jaunkundze, kura tiek aprakta vai ielikta kapličā. Viņai uz pirksta ir palicis dārgs gredzens, kaprači to ievērojuši naktī dodas mirušo aplaupīt. Tomēr, kad gredzens tiek vilkts nost no pirksta vai pirksts nogriezts, sieviete atmostas no miega. Parasti viens no laupītājiem nomirst no izbīļa, Nāve nevar aiziet tukšā.
Otrais „Miesaskārīgais mūks” – stāstiņš ar nelielu nekrofilijas piedevu. Nomirst jauna meita. Un kāds ceļojošs mūks tiek palūgts viņu naktī apstāvēt. Tomēr mūks nenoturas un stājas ar mironi seksuālos sakaros. No rīta šamais aizceļo tālāk, bet sieviete vēl pēc kāda laika atmostas no nāves miega. Pēc deviņiem mēnešiem mūks atkal iet garām šim ciemam un atklāj, ka sievietei piedzimis bērns. Nodarītajā atzīstas un apprecas. Happy end.
Trešais „Paviršais anatoms”- mirušajam kļūdaini tiek diagnosticēta nāves iestāšanās. Cilvēks, kas veic sekciju pēc krūšu kurvja atvēršanas konstatē, ka sirds vēl pukst. Vai arī iegriežot, šķietami mirušais sāk bļaut utt. – pilna vaļa fantāzijai.
Grāmatu ieteiktu izlasīt visiem, sarakstīta tiešām labi. Vietām gan autors ieslīgst pārāk dziļās detaļās. Man garlaicīga šķita sadaļa, kas veltīta 19-20 gs. polemikai par Līķu namu ieviešanas lietderību. Grāmatu vērtēju ar 10 no 10 ballēm.
October 18, 2007
Boooo-ring. Surprising for a book that has a subject that's very title inspires fear. I guess it's a thorough account, so I have to give the author credit for that, but do we need to go over every novel which uses being buried alive as a plot point? I couldn't believe I had to slog all the way to the last two chapters to find out how legitimate a fear being buried alive is/was, and even then, the answer was not altogether satisfying.
I'll save you the trouble of reading the book by telling you that there are definitive accounts of people being buried alive through the 20th century -- not a whole lot, of course, but once they're buried, how are you going to know? The ones that are documented were dug up a few days later because somebody heard some noise from the coffin (only possible in a shallow grave, or before they're deeply buried) or, in one case, someone who was dug up for insurance purposes. Some poor sod in China was under for six days. Past instances of premature burials, as they're called, happened probably more often when there have been plagues and people don't want germy corpses hanging around, or when people have been buried without a doctor being consulted. Of course, as the author points out, what doctor is going to admit s/he buried somebody alive, even if this horrible mistake is discovered? Can't be good for business. Makes getting embalmed seem like a pretty worthwhile idea.
I'll save you the trouble of reading the book by telling you that there are definitive accounts of people being buried alive through the 20th century -- not a whole lot, of course, but once they're buried, how are you going to know? The ones that are documented were dug up a few days later because somebody heard some noise from the coffin (only possible in a shallow grave, or before they're deeply buried) or, in one case, someone who was dug up for insurance purposes. Some poor sod in China was under for six days. Past instances of premature burials, as they're called, happened probably more often when there have been plagues and people don't want germy corpses hanging around, or when people have been buried without a doctor being consulted. Of course, as the author points out, what doctor is going to admit s/he buried somebody alive, even if this horrible mistake is discovered? Can't be good for business. Makes getting embalmed seem like a pretty worthwhile idea.
November 23, 2007
To some, the history and/or phenomenon of premature burial may not seem like a very enjoyable read. I’ve never been bothered by the idea. While it isn’t touched upon in the book, embalming, which I am fairly knowledgeable about, pretty much puts to rest any chance of being buried alive, at least in this country. Perhaps it is that lack of fear concerning premature burial that made me so interesting in reading this book in the first place. Now, I don’t review or read nonfiction very often. I’ve always been an escapist and love that transportation to another person, place, or time that fiction offers. Whereas I would normally talk about characters are themes and all that literary criticism stuff, I suppose I’ll cut it short and simply sum up the book, as well as my feelings about it.
The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first two deal mainly with different reports, stories, and myths surrounding cases of premature burial throughout history. If you’re hoping to read a book full of endless gruesome tales of people being buried alive, then this is the book for you. Bondeson helps weed out the clearly fictional stories by detailing common elements that run throughout almost every single story. There are two problems with these chapters. First, we’ve all heard stories like these and fifty pages of them is not the most interesting way to start off a book that we’re reading for the purpose of gleaning some cold, hard facts about the subject. Secondly, these stories are not contained to these two chapters. In almost every single section we continuously have more fairy tales of premature burial heaped upon us. As I said, if this is what your looking for, great. I myself am not.
Chapters three and four deal with that which lies at the heart of this subject, namely the signs of death. When it comes down to it, this book is really more about the signs of death, than premature burial. This is simply because it is the untrustworthy signs of death that lead to a premature interment. Bondeson gives a fascinating perspective of a medical and scientific community struggling against superstition and the ego of a physician unable to admit that the criteria of death may be fallible. It is easy to see why it had once been so difficult to definitively prove the state of a human being’s life.
Chapters five and six deal with the rather morbid technologies that sprang up as a result of rampant fear of premature burial. Here we are given lengthy details of security coffins and hospitals for the dead, where corpses were stored until putrefaction set in (this was considered by many the only sure sign of a person’s death). After these tidbits, the next two chapters return to the subject of the signs of death and mark the technological advances by the medical community that helped to create a more cohesive and reliable set of signs of death.
Finally, after chapters on the raving lunatics who pursued anti-premature burial legislation, and a short history of the literary popularity of the subject, Bondeson ends the book with two important chapters. The first asks whether or not people were really buried alive. To make a long story short, yes. The last chapter asks whether or not this could happen today. Again, long story short, under the right circumstances, sure, anything’s possible.
Overall, while I found the recurrence of silly burial stories and many of the same facts a bit tedious at times, this was still an engaging read. I have seen this book criticized for the same reasons I have just sighted. However, this really is the definitive book on the subject (at least that is concerned with facts) and Bondeson’s status as a physician gives him the proper insight an author of this subject needs. All in all, to the curious, I recommend this one.
The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first two deal mainly with different reports, stories, and myths surrounding cases of premature burial throughout history. If you’re hoping to read a book full of endless gruesome tales of people being buried alive, then this is the book for you. Bondeson helps weed out the clearly fictional stories by detailing common elements that run throughout almost every single story. There are two problems with these chapters. First, we’ve all heard stories like these and fifty pages of them is not the most interesting way to start off a book that we’re reading for the purpose of gleaning some cold, hard facts about the subject. Secondly, these stories are not contained to these two chapters. In almost every single section we continuously have more fairy tales of premature burial heaped upon us. As I said, if this is what your looking for, great. I myself am not.
Chapters three and four deal with that which lies at the heart of this subject, namely the signs of death. When it comes down to it, this book is really more about the signs of death, than premature burial. This is simply because it is the untrustworthy signs of death that lead to a premature interment. Bondeson gives a fascinating perspective of a medical and scientific community struggling against superstition and the ego of a physician unable to admit that the criteria of death may be fallible. It is easy to see why it had once been so difficult to definitively prove the state of a human being’s life.
Chapters five and six deal with the rather morbid technologies that sprang up as a result of rampant fear of premature burial. Here we are given lengthy details of security coffins and hospitals for the dead, where corpses were stored until putrefaction set in (this was considered by many the only sure sign of a person’s death). After these tidbits, the next two chapters return to the subject of the signs of death and mark the technological advances by the medical community that helped to create a more cohesive and reliable set of signs of death.
Finally, after chapters on the raving lunatics who pursued anti-premature burial legislation, and a short history of the literary popularity of the subject, Bondeson ends the book with two important chapters. The first asks whether or not people were really buried alive. To make a long story short, yes. The last chapter asks whether or not this could happen today. Again, long story short, under the right circumstances, sure, anything’s possible.
Overall, while I found the recurrence of silly burial stories and many of the same facts a bit tedious at times, this was still an engaging read. I have seen this book criticized for the same reasons I have just sighted. However, this really is the definitive book on the subject (at least that is concerned with facts) and Bondeson’s status as a physician gives him the proper insight an author of this subject needs. All in all, to the curious, I recommend this one.
March 14, 2009
Favorite tidbits:
Actually, when the classical physician spoke of "signs of death", he meant the physical signs in Hippocrates' Prognostikon that death was inevitable; the presence of these signs indicated that the doctor's work was done. According to the Hippocratic medical ethics, a doctor should then forecast the impending demise, collect his hfee, and withdraw from the case. The actual diagnosis of death was left to the nonmedical attendants, often the patient's own family & relations.
Death is inevitable, but also uncertain, since its diagnosis is sometimes fallible.
The famous compoaser Frederic Chopin feared premature burial and before his death in 1849 requested in his will that his body be dissected after death.
In Sweden, Alfred Nobel was another victim of the fear of premature burial. He ended the same will that stipulated the creation of the Nobel Foundation with these words: "Finally, it is my express wish that my arteries be opened after death, and that after this has been done, and competent doctors certified that clear signs of death are present, my body be burnt in a crematorium oven."
Actually, when the classical physician spoke of "signs of death", he meant the physical signs in Hippocrates' Prognostikon that death was inevitable; the presence of these signs indicated that the doctor's work was done. According to the Hippocratic medical ethics, a doctor should then forecast the impending demise, collect his hfee, and withdraw from the case. The actual diagnosis of death was left to the nonmedical attendants, often the patient's own family & relations.
Death is inevitable, but also uncertain, since its diagnosis is sometimes fallible.
The famous compoaser Frederic Chopin feared premature burial and before his death in 1849 requested in his will that his body be dissected after death.
In Sweden, Alfred Nobel was another victim of the fear of premature burial. He ended the same will that stipulated the creation of the Nobel Foundation with these words: "Finally, it is my express wish that my arteries be opened after death, and that after this has been done, and competent doctors certified that clear signs of death are present, my body be burnt in a crematorium oven."
January 22, 2009
This book is telling the tale of just how often people really got buried alive before all of our fancy gadgetry announced brain death. It's a lot.
Get this: There's a reoccurring cultural and literary myth Europe (especially from the 12-1700's) called 'The Lady and the Ring'. What happens is that a rich, aristocratic lady supposedly dies. The grief-stricken husband buries her (underground, crypt, tomb...it varies) with all her fancy rings. The gravedigger or immoral steward who helped bury her covets said shiny things and goes back after everyone leaves to steal them. The lady then awakens (not from death, because she was just catatonic), scares the thief to death, and makes her way back to her family. All these stories then have these women becoming iconic figures of womenhood: 10 babies, productive citizens, etc.
Get this: There's a reoccurring cultural and literary myth Europe (especially from the 12-1700's) called 'The Lady and the Ring'. What happens is that a rich, aristocratic lady supposedly dies. The grief-stricken husband buries her (underground, crypt, tomb...it varies) with all her fancy rings. The gravedigger or immoral steward who helped bury her covets said shiny things and goes back after everyone leaves to steal them. The lady then awakens (not from death, because she was just catatonic), scares the thief to death, and makes her way back to her family. All these stories then have these women becoming iconic figures of womenhood: 10 babies, productive citizens, etc.
February 1, 2009
constant companion on my epic commute to the suburbs, the ballast in my laptop case that gives me that perfect balance on my right shoulder so i don't wrinkle my shirt, doorstop, paystub binder for the month of april? How many ways has this book so become a part of my life? Perhaps one day i will win the battle of attrition that rises from reading this book, although after finishing Bondeson's 'Cabinet of Medical Curiousities', i am thinking this is trench warfare. Perhaps reading this right after Mary Roach's 'Stiff' spoiled me? I do credit the author for gathering so much source material into one place, but it results in a categorically dry, superimposed blueprint over what could be a far more pallatable treatment of the subject.
still reading...
still reading...
April 13, 2014
A little repetitive at times, but overall a very good, very thorough examination of the history of the idea of accidentally being buried alive. I had heard about people being buried with strings leading up to bells attached to their fingers in case they were accidentally buried alive, but I had no idea the extent to which this fear permeated some parts of western society. The focus was quite limited - both in time (mid 18th century to early 20th) and space (Western Europe and North America) and it definitely would have been nice to see at least some discussion of whether people outside this narrow sphere had the same fears and legends about live burials.
November 21, 2008
Love it ... juicy, gruesome and macabre history of "premature burial" (I know!) with a sense of humour.
I was amused, disgusted and chilled by turns. This book will make you insanely grateful to have been born in
the twentieth century, even though it concludes that fear of burial alive is hugely disproportionate to the likelihood of such an occurence.
Well-researched and accompanied by some wicked illustrations, this is a perfect read when you are warm and cosy in bed.
I was amused, disgusted and chilled by turns. This book will make you insanely grateful to have been born in
the twentieth century, even though it concludes that fear of burial alive is hugely disproportionate to the likelihood of such an occurence.
Well-researched and accompanied by some wicked illustrations, this is a perfect read when you are warm and cosy in bed.
April 30, 2010
This one isn't a book of fiction; it is a well documented book about the phenomenon of premature burial throughout history and litterature. It covers many interesting subjects such as legends, apparent death, methods for detecting death, waiting mortuaries and many more. A lot of research has been done by the author, and his sources are well documented. A very interesting book to satisfy your morbid curiosity.
June 3, 2011
Far too repetitive, though there were some interesting snippets; I learned of the German 'leichenhaus' - I never knew waiting rooms for the doubted dead existed, and the chapter on literary premature burial was quite entertaining. However, the very academic writing style made absorbing some of the text more of a task than a pleasure, though I have no doubt this is an exceedingly well-researched book.
August 7, 2011
A must read!!! What fear we all have tucked away in a back corner of our mind.It couldn't happen to me.Right??? To wake up in total darkness and realize no one can hear you.No way out.This book brings those fears to light with real tales from those who unfortunately didn't live to retell the tale.We all will oneday day be buried,cremated,or become a cadaver.That is oneday I don't want to live to see.
November 2, 2011
This is a little more academically driven than I wanted - I expected a book more like Mary Roach's books on death - but it was still very interesting, thoroughly researched, and well written. I could see this being used in a classroom setting but it might be a little daunting for the casual reader.
February 3, 2008
This is a fun book if you enjoy gothic fiction but wonder about their fascination with being buried alive. This book covers this history up to the present day. A bit gruesome at times, but still an interesting, easy read.
December 24, 2009
Awfully disappointing. The author has a very academic, stilted writing style and the basis of the book seems to be his small collection of pamphlets, etc. on the subject of grave alarm systems. Too bad because this is a potentially fascinating topic. Kudos to the jacket designer.
March 30, 2007
A must read for my pals.
April 7, 2009
Took a while, but definitely worth the read! It's like reading someone's dissertation. Not fast or light, but really enjoyable.
October 24, 2007
Interesting, but a lot of it I'd read about before.
August 24, 2008
fascinating
Want to read
January 31, 2009Discovered this title when I was researching the source of the phrase "dead ringer" - which is NOT because buried people taken for dead were ringing bells, as some have speculated.
May 6, 2009
1st recorded reading: February 2002
July 11, 2009
Very interesting, however, half way through the book, I just found it unbearably tedious and hard to follow.
May 18, 2011
Suprisingly dull for the subject matter and somewhat repetitive as well. Still, some interesting information.
February 13, 2015
Got to page 50 but didn't finish. Was very dry and not educational. Was just story after story of people being buried alive and I thought it'd be like an actual history or some psychology
November 20, 2020
For a such an interesting title and subject, this was a surprisingly dull read. Maybe my expectations going into it were wrong, but it felt much like reading someone's thesis in which they describe similar case studies...one after another...quite repetitive. Was a bit of a slog to get through, and I couldn't help but skim past the umpteenth, very similar story that had little to no verification.
Mind you, this book was well researched, as far as I can tell (I think there a couple of references that had some issues?) but most of the "cases" premature burial are not backed by evidence. The book does acknowledge this, but that made it feel kind of pointless to keep reading similar, probably exaggerated or outright fabricated tales.
I did learn a few things here and there, and got the general sense that this is a topic people have been worried about in various places for centuries now. The book stays mostly in European territory; I did wonder how civilizations elsewhere in the world might've viewed the "danger" of premature burial, but I can't fault the writer here - that would be a whole other set of books. Probably vaguely dull ones.
Last thing I'll mention is that some of the reviews on the inside of the front cover called this book "hysterical" or "amusing." I would like to strongly disagree with this notion, except for one sentence near the end of the book:
"...Indeed, the best preventative measure for those fearing a premature burial may well be to avoid taking a drug overdose while outdoors in cold weather."
Alright, I'll admit that that lifted the corner of my mouth.
Mind you, this book was well researched, as far as I can tell (I think there a couple of references that had some issues?) but most of the "cases" premature burial are not backed by evidence. The book does acknowledge this, but that made it feel kind of pointless to keep reading similar, probably exaggerated or outright fabricated tales.
I did learn a few things here and there, and got the general sense that this is a topic people have been worried about in various places for centuries now. The book stays mostly in European territory; I did wonder how civilizations elsewhere in the world might've viewed the "danger" of premature burial, but I can't fault the writer here - that would be a whole other set of books. Probably vaguely dull ones.
Last thing I'll mention is that some of the reviews on the inside of the front cover called this book "hysterical" or "amusing." I would like to strongly disagree with this notion, except for one sentence near the end of the book:
"...Indeed, the best preventative measure for those fearing a premature burial may well be to avoid taking a drug overdose while outdoors in cold weather."
Alright, I'll admit that that lifted the corner of my mouth.
August 26, 2018
The content would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't so repetitive. For the greater part of the book, I felt as though I was reading the same chapter over and over again, albeit with new cases/stories for people being buried alive. But even these stories derived from the same root idea and became one and the same, making them a little dull to read, even for such as intense subject. It is understandable that a lot of the history behind premature burial is the same decade to decade and even century to century, but the way it is displayed in this book makes the timeline confusing (a lot of the names and dates start to sound the same after a while) and make me feel like the content could have been boiled down a bit. I would have liked this book a lot more, if it wasn't for the repetitious long winded nature of the writing.
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