Read Online Stories in Stone A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography Douglas Keister 0082552023218 Books

Product details Hardcover 256 pages Publisher Gibbs Smith (April 5, 2004) Language English ISBN-10 158685321X

Stories in Stone A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography Douglas Keister 0082552023218 Books Reviews

• After a trip to the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah Georgia, I was interested in learning more about the meaning of cemetery gravestones and symbols. For instance, I had heard that a tree with the limbs cut off mean that a child has preceded the parent in death. I was interested in learning more and was looking for a reference book. This book is called a field guide and is very interesting and easy to reference if you're looking for something in particular. I would highly recommend it!
• I have used in in my trips to cemeteries. And was just interesting to read. Pictures are great and the explanations are very good. Best book on iconography I have ever gotten.
• The most thorough guide I've found yet, with plentiful CLEAR illustrations (photos) and a complete explanation of those mysterious letters and symbols found on old headstones. I keep this book in my car, as I will pull off the road and park the car to explore any old cemetery or churchyard I come across. The small size makes it easy to tuck into a purse or backpack. Lots of great photos; a couple of them taken in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA, which is just up the street from my house. If you enjoy wandering around in the park-like atmosphere of old cemeteries, admiring the stonework, and are curious as to why those upside-down torches are so common on mausoleums, get this book--you'll be glad you did!
• This is a fascinating book. I wish I lived in an area with old cemeteries so I could take up the hobby of reading old headstones, some of which can really tell a lot about who is buried there. If I lived in New England, or England for that matter, I'd keep this book in my car and whenever I found a likely cemetery I'd go inside and read the messages from the past.
  
  This book is enjoyable for anyone.
• STORIES IN STONE; A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography by Douglas Kaiser is a unique compilation of funeral art, symbolism, and architecture that will amaze any reader.
  
  This is actually a very good and informative reference book that not only teaches but, magnifies and helps to unravel the mysteries of symbolism and, its impact upon man at his most fearful hour.
  
  Regardless of any prior negative comments or reviews, the author has done an extremely good job of laying out concise information by categorizing various elements and facets of this unique topic. Not only is this a book on funeral art and symbolism, but... it is also a book filled with numerous historical snippets' that the student of history will never find in any boring text.
  
  Walking through old cemeteries can be a humbling and reflective time for each of us. A meditative stroll through any "Gardens of Stone" will become even more meaningful if, you can just... carry this book along with you.
  
  I believe this is to be a superb book for...a superb price!
• My husband and I love cemeteries!! We relish going through old unknown cemeteries. The older the better!!
  Very informative and very interesting.
  This book adds perfectly to our collection.
• I read this book when I worked in the cemetery I got to recognize all the old signs that were up chiseled on the gravestones very interesting
• This is a fabulous little book for anyone interested in the meaning of symbols on gravestones. It is exquisitely produced with glossy pages and superb photos. The size is such that you could carry in your pocket to a graveyard, but it is too nice to take outside. It is very well written and explains the meaning of symbols in an understandable manner. Unlike most gravestone books, it has a welcome touch of humor on some conventional beliefs but in a respectful manner to all religions. If possible, I would give this ten stars except for the fact that there is only very brief coverage of the symbolism on seventeenth and eighteenth century New England gravestones. While the illustrations of monuments in Italy are beautiful and interesting, more on the early gravestones of America and how they evolved would be much more useful to those of us not likely to get to Italy. Despite this omission, the book is useful for the US cemeteries from the nineteenth century on.