Encyclopedia of Death and Dying / Edition 1

by Glennys Howarth, Oliver Leaman

Overview

In recent years there has been a massive upsurge in academic, professional and lay interest in mortality. This is reflected in academic and professional literature, in the popular media and in the proliferation of professional roles and training courses associated with aspects of death and dying.
Until now the majority of reference material on death and dying has been designed for particular disciplinary audiences and has addressed only specific academic or professional concerns. There has been an urgent need for an authoritative but accessible reference work reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the field. This Encyclopedia answers that need.
The Encyclopedia of Death and Dying consolidates and contextualizes the disparate research that has been carried out to date. The phenomena of death and dying and its related concepts are explored and explained in depth, from the approaches of varied disciplines and related professions in the arts, social sciences, humanities, medicine and the sciences.
In addition to scholars and students in the field-from anthropologists and sociologists to art and social historians - the Encyclopedia will be of interest to other professionals and practitioners whose work brings them into contact with dying, dead and bereaved people. It will be welcomed as the definitive death and dying reference source, and an essential tool for teaching, research and independent study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415188258
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/27/2001
Pages:	560
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Glennys Howarth, Oliver Leaman

Table of Contents

adolescence; afterlife; ageing; All Saints Day; All Souls' Day; angels; bereavement; Black Death; brain death; Buddhism; burial rites; cancer; care of the dying child; Catholicism; cot death; cremation; death instinct; Death Row; depression; disasters; drugs; Egypt, ancient; embalming; euthanasia; epitaphs; evil; fate and fatalism; fear; film; funerals; gas chambers; ghosts; good death; graves; Greece, ancient; healing; Heaven; Hell; Hinduism; immortality; Islam; Journal of Death Studies; Judaism; kamikaze; laying out; life support; longevity; medicine; meditation; memorial; mourning; near-death experiences; nursing homes; obituaries; old age; organ donation; out-of-body experience; pathology; pilgrimage; post-mortem rituals; psychology; reincarnation; Requiem Mass; resurrection; resuscitation; spiritual healing; suicide; superstitions; Tibetan Book of the Dead; transplants; Tutenkhamen; vampires; wakes; war memorials; widowhood;

Editorial Reviews

A long list of respected contributors, predominantly from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, here provide rich and fascinating articles on all aspects of death and dying. Arranged alphabetically by subject, each entry is signed and includes references and suggestions for further reading. There is some overlap with the Encyclopedia of Death, edited by Robert and Beatrice Kastenbaum (1989. o.p.), but the two works are different enough to warrant the inclusion of both titles in one's collection. Although this encyclopedia does not list as many journals and organizations as the Kastenbaum work, it does contain more material (it is over 200 pages longer), including articles about current issues, biographies of notable people in the field, and a large selected bibliography. The inclusion of unusual subjects, such as "Death by Chocolate," "Pets," and "Sport," help to broaden the traditional approaches to this field. In some areas, cross-referencing appears inadequate, and, for the sake of clarity, some entries (e.g., "Palliative Care" and "Health Promoting Palliative Care") should have been combined. Shortcomings aside, this work will enrich all academic and public library collections. Other, more narrowly focused encyclopedias of this genre include Richard P. Taylor's Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia (LJ 1/01) and James R. Lewis's Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena (Gale, 1994). Annette Haines, Central Michigan Univ. Libs., Mount Pleasant Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

'Rich and fascinating articles on all aspects of death and dying ... This work will enrich all academic and public library collections.' - Library Journal

'The book is a fine achievement, both interdisciplinary and multicultural in its scope. The entries are concise, clear and beautifully presented. There are also splendid illustrations. Cross-referencing is expert. It is not just a work of reference but also one to browse.' - TLS, August 2002

'...rich and fascinating articles on all aspects of death and dying...this work will enrich all academic and public library collections.' - Library Journal

'...this volume deserves a profound welcome.' - British Medical Journal

'...an eclectic mix...' - The Lancet [Vol 359 January 5th 2002

'Recommended for academic and public libraries, and for counselors' collections.' - Choice 2001

'...the book is a fine achievement, both interdisciplinary and multicultural in its scope. The entries are concise, clear and beautifully presented. There are also splendid illustrations. Cross-referencing is expert. It is not just a work of reference but also one to browse.' - TLS August 2002

From the Publisher