Grave Matters

People have wanted to have the last word from the beginning of time—and they’ve been writing their own for almost as long. Their wise, witty and often bizarre last messages have now been immortalized in , this wonderfully entertaining collection of epitaphs taken from headstones, church records and historical accounts in the United States and the British Isles. The epitaphs in span four centuries, and make memorable use of poetry, epigrams and surprising turns of phrase to make parting comments that range from the wry . . . to the satisfied. . . . to the short and sweet. . . . A fascinating look at the way people lived and died in days gone by, is the perfect addition to any library for the literary, the learned and (especially) the living.