The Whole Death Catalog

April 15, 2009
Readers remembering the consummate countercultural masterpiece, Stewart Brand's "The Whole Earth Catalog", will begin chuckling immediately upon reading the title of this idiosyncratic book by Schechter (American literature & culture, Queens Coll.; "The Devil's Gentleman"). Schechter offers readers a scholarly yet wildly hilarious romp through the cultural history of death and dying. It is not only rollicking entertainment but also provides a wealth of practical and historical information about death. Thus, amid chapters with titles like "Funeral Fun Facts" and "Cremation, Cryonics, and Other Postmortem Possibilities," readers will find useful advice on writing living wills and avoiding funeral industry scams. The perversely macabre illustrations and sidebars are alone worth the price of the book. A significant contribution to the literature on death, this work merits a prominent space on the shelves next to Jessica Mitford's "The American Way of Death", Mary Roach's "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" and the oeuvre of Elisabeth Kbler-Ross. Highly recommended.Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2009
Serial-killer biographer and mystery novelist Schechters compendium on the perpetually fascinating subject that is his stock-in-trade is enhanced by such browser-friendly features as recommended reading lists and sidebars recurring (e.g., Death Fun Factplenty of those) and singular (Going Out Viking Style), not to mention waggish, Gorey-esque illustrations. Useful facts and distinctions abound; for instance, the necrophilia section informs readers of the need to distinguish necrophiliac homicidemurder committed for the purpose of having sex with the corpsefrom regular necrophilia, that being the more socially acceptable sex with corpses, the case cited being that of a female embalmer who had sexual intercourse with 2040 male corpses. For the practical minded, Schechter mentions a Web site enabling devotees of life planning to preview epigraph options by creating virtual tombstones, and in Corpse-napping: Ransoming the Dead, he assesses the chances of success in that grisly enterprise. Do-it-yourself features include You, Too, Can Be a Mummy (and So Can Fido) and a how-to guide to Victorian Postmortem Photography. An entertaining if occasionally grim popular reference.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)