Description
Perfect for budding cemetery armchair travelers and serious taphophiles, this hauntingly beautiful guide to the world’s most interesting and unusual cemeteries has been revised and updated to include 23 additional locations.
Every year, millions of tourists flock to cemeteries around the globe to uncover hidden stories of their residents and admire the incredible architecture, stunning landscapes, and even wildlife in these open-air museums.
In this lavishly photographic bucket list of the world’s most interesting cemeteries, author Loren Rhoads, who hosts the popular Cemetery Travel blog, details the history, eye-catching monuments, and other fascinating finds that make each destination unique. Entries include unforgettable cemeteries such as the Mount Koya cemetery in Japan, where 10,000 lanterns illuminate the forest setting; Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery which hosts gorgeous night tours of the Southern Gothic tombstones under moss-covered trees; and Il Cimitero Acattolico in Rome that is the final resting place of young poets John Keats and Percy Shelley.
Whether you are a true taphophile (cemetery enthusiast) who seeks out obscure locations or a tourist who likes to incorporate not-to-be-missed cemeteries like Paris’s Pere Lachaise and Arlington National Cemetery into your itinerary, 222 Cemeteries to See Before You Die is both a useful trip-planning tool and a browser’s delight.
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Customer –
A. –
This is a hardcover book in a durable ‘casewrapped’ binding, where the cover art is printed directly on the hard cover, no dustjacket. It is an interesting book for anyone who likes history, even if you’re not planning to travel the nation/world visiting the cemeteries it lists. I’ve only been to a few cemeteries in-person myself, though I frequently use the “Find A Grave” site to ‘visit’ virtually for research. Before the detailed index at the end of the book, the author gives thanks to both FindAGrave and Atlas Obscura.
I’d like to see a future edition add a few more locations in the Gulf Coast southern states, which didn’t get as much attention in this book as some other parts of the US. There is a massive historic cemetery in my area of Texas that was not one of the two Texas cemeteries the author included (filed under the US West section of the book). Louisiana also just got two included, and Mississippi and Alabama each only got one (all of these were filed under the US South section). I’m less familiar with the latter two states, but I know there are several other great candidate locations in TX and LA.
There are 1-2 photos included for each cemetery. Personally I prefer glossy paper for books that include color photos, rather than the more matte-feeling paper in this book. Matte might make the text a little more comfortable to read, but photos look better on glossy paper.
Amanda –
I think this book is great and I don’t understand all the complaints about photos…the whole point of the book is to provide you with info and go visit them. It’s not intended to be a photo library.
Peter Adams –
Love seeing thess interesting cemeteries!
Whitney Timmer –
Beautiful coffee table book!
lawrence camp –
Interesting views on cemeteries. It is a good purchase.
Tammy Herstad –
Love this book!
T. H. –
Beautiful illustrations and I wish it had more pictures of each cemetery featured. I guess I’ll have to take myself on a tour of the cemeteries mentioned. How exciting and wonderful for any cemetery lover! If you know someone who enjoys cemeteries and who finds them peaceful, where they can learn about the past…this is the best gift ever!