Our modern culture has lost its connection to the death process and to the tools for mourning those that we love. We are left with very little support when going through the dark passage that the death of a loved one brings. This book was created because of the need to remember the old ways where death was honored, with every part of the process being observed, tended to, and infused with superstition and folk beliefs. People of the past understood things about spirits of the dead that we do not, in modernity.

The Victorian times in the British Isles, continental Europe and North America culminated to contain elaborate mourning practices and customs, where it is clear that death ruled the day to day life. With so much death to be tending to, the need to mourn the dead properly formed itself, from the rural areas with little resources, to the inner cities and the lavishly wealthy. Mourning customs were practiced by all people in society, and no doubt brought some comfort during this essential suffering that we all must one day endure.

Within this special book, one will find numerous symbols, meanings, practices and traditions surrounding the process of death, dying and mourning customs out of Europe. Most of these came out of the Victorian era, but some of them harken back to ancient Greco-Roman times and influences. While mostly focusing on European traditions, there are also some American examples included as well. This A-Z encyclopedia has many uncommon entries and also contains much plant lore relating to the dead. This information is rare and hard to find in one place, hence why it was brought together into an easy to read format, with copious footnotes for future referencing. There are also many black and white photos featuring mourning and funeral items and their symbols. In many ways, this book is a hands on manual for mourning the dead, working with the dead and understanding the grief of the living left behind.