The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883

by Gary Laderman and Professor Gary Laderman

Book Overview

When George Washington died in 1799, towns throughout the country commemorated the event with solemn processions featuring empty coffins. In contrast, after Abraham Lincoln's death in 1865, his body was transported around the North and displayed for more than two weeks, for by then corpses could be autopsied, drained of their blood, and beautified for the benefit of mourners. This absorbing book explores the changing attitudes toward death and the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300078684
• ISBN13: 9780300078688
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.3"