Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography

I am the lonely one-star reviewer on this book. It's a nicely produced little hardback that could fit into your pocket on the way to a cemetery trip; unfortunately, it has very limited usefulness for actually understanding the significance of the symbols you're seeing on cemetery markers.

The material culture of cemetery markers - at least during the period before markers became almost entirely mass-produced, generic catalog items - is a hugely complex topic. Books upon books have been published just to deal with local symbolism used in one area during one particular time period, not to mention ethnic and racial differences, but Keister claims to be taking on the whole subject of symbolism in all cemetery markers, ever, worldwide.

Some of show more his facts he gets more or less correct; but there are no endnotes or sources given for the information in this book, and the 'explanations" for some of the symbolism described just seems to have been pulled out of thin air, or possibly based on a quick Google search or some other source not specific to cemeteries. (For instance, many of his explanations of the symbolism of certain flowers seem to have been lifted from some kind of "Language of Flowers" book, bearing no necessary relation to the ways in which flower images might have been used on grave markers specifically.)

There are a lot of pictures and excessive discussion of the more astounding sculptural cemeteries of Europe, like the Cimiterio Monumentale in Milan and Pére-Lachaise in Paris, which certainly make for good photo ops, but aren't really suited to a "field guide" that an American cemetery enthusiast might want to have with them when visiting a typical American cemetery.

I wish I had a better book to recommend for general readers on this topic, but if I find one, I'll update this review. show less

This is an excellent handbook which explains the basic conception of signs and symbols found on most tombs. The book is divided into (1) funerary architecture and (2) flora, fauna, the human condition, mortality symbols, and images of religious devotion. Most illustrations are from tombstones in Italy, America, Canada, Spain. This book does not examine monuments per se which would make military memorial structures the most prevalent. 288 pages, color photos, Suggested Reading List and Index.

This is one of those beautiful books -- from it's half-sized book jacket to the excellent photographs this is a great reference tool for cemetery motifs and symbolism. In the back is a good list of Acronyms for Societies, Clubs, and Organizations often found on stones. Can't imagine being without this one!

First, this is a great size to take traveling. And the color photos are also lovely, especially when so many other books are stuck in black and white. This book is especially good if you're looking up symbols on tombs and finding out what they mean - from animals to Greek letters to societies (there's a multiple page listing of acronyms and what they mean).

This isn't the first book I'd recommend for scholarship - but I have spent many hours on airplanes reading or just looking at the photos.

A neat little book, but not quite as comprehensive as I might have hoped.

Has some amazing photographs and interesting historical tidbits, but isn’t quite as useful as it could be. The descriptions of various motifs are often accompanied by photographs that don’t show all of the elements described; having multiple examples would have been nice.

Heavily concentrated on U.S. funerary art, with occasional examples drawn from major European cemeteries.

Much more about gravestones and smaller monuments than mausolea and other larger cemetery structures. (For which James Stevens Curl’s A Celebration of Death: Introduction to Some of the Buildings, Monuments and Settings of Funerary Architecture in the Western European Tradition (B.T. show more Batsford, 1993) is a better resource.) show less

As a person who spends vacation time learning about history of places, I often find myself in cemeteries. This is a wonderful guide about the markings found there. It touches first on the architectural style of the grave and later on the symbols found on the stone itself.

I was disappointed that there wasn't anything specific about cadaver stones. I realize there are very few of them left in the world, but at least a mention would have been neat. They are so very fascinating.

And as someone else mentioned, having an edition that has more gravestones from around the world would be nice, since most of those pictured were from the US.

Summary
A guide to identifying the various forms and styles of cemetery structures - tombs, crypts, headstones, vaults, mausoleums, etc... Also includes chapters devoted to the different types of decorations and symbols found on monuments: flora, fauna, religious, and an extensive section on benevolent societies (Masons, Elks, etc...). Entries have detailed descriptions with quoted references to literature and holy texts, and many color photos.

Opinion
This was a fascinating guide which would be helpful on a cemetery visit. The earliest chapters were the most interesting to me - I skimmed most of the religious quotes and the long section at the end regarding benevolent associations. I won't buy this, but will certainly take it out next show more time I visit a cemetery, and it has piqued my interest in the subject enough to possibly search out a more extensive history. (Thanks to Pretear for the recommendation!) show less