Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal FearReaders of Edgar Allan Poe's tales--just think of The Premature Burial--may comfort themselves with the notion that Poe must have exaggerated: surely people of the 1800s could not have been at risk of being buried alive? But such stories filled medical journals as well as fiction, and fear in the populace was high. It was speculated, from the number of skeletons found in horrific, contorted positions inside their coffins, that ten out of every one hundred people were buried before they were dead. With over fifty illustrations, Buried Alive explores the medicine, folklore, history, and literature of Europe and the United States to uncover why such fears arose and whether they were warranted. "A weird and wonderful little tome."--Salon.com "Bondeson weaves a strange disturbing, and weirdly enthralling tale. Cremation never sounded so good."--Lingua Franca "A most useful and entertaining book....Deserves a place on every bedside table in America."--Patrick McGrath, author of Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution "A necrobibliac classic: it may keep you up all night--not from fear but from fascination."--Kirkus Reviews starred review. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - brittaniethekid - LibraryThingThis is a little more academically driven than I wanted - I expected a book more like Mary Roach's books on death - but it was still very interesting, thoroughly researched, and well written. I could ... Read full review
BURIED ALIVE: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear
User Review - KirkusGrave matters are treated with wit and erudition in this study of premature burial throughout Western history, from physician Bondeson (The London Monster, 2000, etc.).When one 18th-century French ... Read full review
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actually American Anatomist apparent death awakening become bell body Bruhier buried alive called cause century claimed completely concerning considered corpse Count dead declared dead described died doctor early edition example fear finally fingers France French funeral German girl grave hands head heard heart History horror hospital Hufeland human individual inside instances interest invention Italy Journal known Lady late later legend Leichenhaus less living London Louis means mort move named newspaper Notes observations once opened original pamphlet Paris patient person physician powerful premature burial presumed prevent probably published putrefaction quoted reader reports returned reviewed revived Ring saved Scheintod Sciences security coffin shroud signs of death Society story suggested taken tale Tebb tell thought tion tomb translation vault waiting mortuaries wanted wife Winslow woman writer wrote young
Popular passages
Page 16 - I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul; freeze thy young blood ; Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres; Thy knotted and combined locks to part, And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fretful porcupine : But this eternal blazon must not be To ears of flesh and blood : — List, list, O list!
Page 9 - Worm — these things, with the thoughts of the air and grass above, with memory of dear friends who would fly to save us if but informed of our fate, and with consciousness that of this fate they can never be informed — that our hopeless portion is that of the really dead...
Bibliographic information
| Title | Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear |
| Author | Jan Bondeson |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company, 2002 |
| ISBN | 039332222X, 9780393322224 |
| Length | 320 pages |
| Subjects | › Medical / History Science / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |