Death and Architecture

Curl, James Stevens

ISBN 10: 0750928778 / ISBN 13: 9780750928779

Published by Sutton, 2002

About this Item

Publisher's hardback in nearly new condition: firm and square, strong joints, sharp corners, no bumps. Complete with original dustjacket: sharp and bright, no tears, no chips. Contents crisp, tight and clean; no pen-marks. Not from a library so no such stamps or labels, just a previous owner's bookplate at the paste-down. Looks unread. Thus a tidy book in very presentable condition. Seller Inventory # 208455

Bibliographic Details

Title: Death and Architecture

Publisher: Sutton

Publication Date: 2002

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Like New

Dust Jacket Condition: Like New

Edition: First Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

Funerary monuments - whether the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the chambered cairns of prehistoric Orkney or the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge - are among the most potent architectural monuments. Bearing witness to our uneasy acknowledgement of mortality and our desire to remember those who have died, tombs and monuments are often among the finest structures erected by man. The subjects of funerary architecture, of commemorative structures and of cemeteries have suffered a curious neglect at the hands of writers until fairly recently, and it is James Stevens Curl's work that is partly responsible for arousing a new interest in them. In a wide-ranging and stimulating survey, Professor Curl explores the extraordinary legacy of funerary monuments from ancient Egypt to modern town planners' schemes for twenty-storey tower-blocks for the storage of coffins and urns (not a bad idea when we consider how inappropriate are tower-blocks as dwellings for the living). As much a commentary on attitudes to death as a history of architecture, Death and Architecture reveals many hidden wonders and beauties throughout the world. A fascinating and unusual book, it will be treasured by all who agree with George Crabbe's line 'But monuments themselves memorials need'.