SKU: 10937330580

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains

Sale price$24.48 Regular price$27.20
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $6.80 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 20 - Jul 25

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal RemainsThe meaning of our concern for mortal remains from antiquity through the twentieth century The Greek philosopher Diogenes said that when he died his body should be tossed over the city walls for beasts to scavenge. Why should he or anyone else care what became of his corpse? In The Work of the Dead, acclaimed cultural historian Thomas Laqueur examines why humanity has universally rejected Diogenes's argument. No culture has been indifferent to mortal

The meaning of our concern for mortal remains--from antiquity through the twentieth century

The Greek philosopher Diogenes said that when he died his body should be tossed over the city walls for beasts to scavenge. Why should he or anyone else care what became of his corpse? In The Work of the Dead, acclaimed cultural historian Thomas Laqueur examines why humanity has universally rejected Diogenes's argument. No culture has been indifferent to mortal remains. Even in our supposedly disenchanted scientific age, the dead body still matters--for individuals, communities, and nations. A remarkably ambitious history, The Work of the Dead offers a compelling and richly detailed account of how and why the living have cared for the dead, from antiquity to the twentieth century.

The book draws on a vast range of sources--from mortuary archaeology, medical tracts, letters, songs, poems, and novels to painting and landscapes in order to recover the work that the dead do for the living: making human communities that connect the past and the future. Laqueur shows how the churchyard became the dominant resting place of the dead during the Middle Ages and why the cemetery largely supplanted it during the modern period. He traces how and why since the nineteenth century we have come to gather the names of the dead on great lists and memorials and why being buried without a name has become so disturbing. And finally, he tells how modern cremation, begun as a fantasy of stripping death of its history, ultimately failed--and how even the ashes of the victims of the Holocaust have been preserved in culture.

A fascinating chronicle of how we shape the dead and are in turn shaped by them, this is a landmark work of cultural history.-- "Library Journal"

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 05/08/2018
ISBN: 9780691180939
Pages: 744
Weight: 2.00lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 2.20d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 10937330580

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.9 ★★★★★
Based on 20 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
A
Verified Purchase
Amanda
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Wow. Just wow. An amazing read
Format: Kindle
This book was eloquently written, or should I say the authors writing style is very eloquent? I loved the characters, and the story was quite compelling. I absolutely loved the FMC, she's a BA who doesn't take any crap & gives as good as she gets. A certain person certainly got his just desserts & then some, the earlier scenes of which were quite satisfying, had me punching the air & everything haha. All in all 20/10, great read
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2024
L
Verified Purchase
Lauren
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 3
My opinion
Format: Kindle
Let me preface this by saying I really liked the story and the characters however, this book is in desperate need of some sort of editing. It's not misspelled words or formatting, but continuous run on sentences. Redundancies within the sentences. There were a couple of paragraphs that I had to go back and reread 3 or 4 times. Overall, I'd say it was worth the read.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful
Format: Kindle
I love omegaverses I had looked at this one multiple times thinking it's just another book about cocky rock star guys that let fame get to their heads and there are parts like that so I wasn't 100% off. I started reading the second book and met the fmc Astraea from the first one,after she had a run in with the aphla from the gym.😁 it gave me the push to stop and read book one first and im so glad I did this book was amazing their was so many characters I fell in love with hoping they will find their happily ever after. the guys were great, the plot was 🎯, and the ending had me 😭😭😭. I was wondering how nate could ever redeem himself, and he did. the last scene with him was sad, but I also felt it was beautiful. thank you to the author for making a beautiful omegaverse book that gave me all the feels. now I'm jumping straight into book two.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025
E
Verified Purchase
E
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 4
Knot their Omega
Format: Kindle
It took me a day to really get into the book, there is a lot happening in the beginning of the story. I wish there was more of a time frame because I felt like something’s happened quickly but they were farther away than I thought so that was a little confusing to me. I felt like there was so much happening but also not enough. As for the story itself I enjoyed it, it was different than other OV I’ve read. Bring the tissues, you will need them. They guys were great, I wish we saw more of Kai and Kenjis relationship. As for Nate…… IYKYK. I enjoyed this book, my first from this author and look forward to reading about Kamaris story. Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Spice: 🌶️.5/5
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2024
M
Verified Purchase
M. Schmitz
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 2
Has Potential, Poorly Executed
Format: Kindle
I really really wanted to enjoy this book and was looking forward to reading it. However there were just one too many convoluted plot points, sentences just did not flow nicely at times, and I was left with a lot of confusion on my end. I think it has the bones of being a great story but seems like it was rushed and I had to push myself to finish the last of the book and was left with an unsatisfying ending. It’s definitely different from other omegaverse novels I’ve read but not for good reasons. I really think it could be great but needs some serious tweaking and editing before I’d read it again.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2025

recommand products