Editorial Reviews

Cemeteries are virtual encyclopedias of symbolism. Engravings on tombstones, mausoleums and memorials tell us just about everything there is to know about a person- date of birth and death as well as religion, ethnicity, occupation, community interests, and much more. In the fascinating new book Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by noted author Douglas Keister, the secrets of cemetery symbolism are finally revealed. For instance, did you know that it is quite rare to see a sunflower on a tombstone? Did you know that the human foot symbolizes humility and service since it consistently touches the earth? Or the humble sheaf of wheat-while it is often used to denote someone who has lived a long and fruitful life, do you know other meanings it might carry?

Stories in Stone provides history along with images of a wide variety of common and not-so-common cemetery symbols, and offers an in-depth examination of stone relics and the personal and intimate details they display-flora and fauna, religious icons, society symbols, and final impressions of how the deceased wished to be remembered. Douglas Keister has created a practical field guide that is compact and portable, perfect for those interested in family histories and genealogical research, and is the only book of its kind that unlocks the language of symbols in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand manner.

Douglas Keister has photographed fourteen award-winning, critically acclaimed books (including Red Tile Style: America's Spanish Revival Architecture, The Bungalow: America's Arts & Crafts Home, and Storybook Style: America's Whimsical Homes of the Twenties) earning him the title "America's most noted photographer of historic architecture." He also writes and illustrates magazine articles and contributes photographs and essays to other books, calendars, posters, and greeting cards. Doug lives in Chico, California, and travels frequently to photograph and lecture on historic architecture and photography.

Customer Reviews

Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography., 2008-12-30
by Eric Williams (South-Eastern Pennsylvania)

Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography. Douglas Keister. 256 pages. 2004.

I picked up this book at the gift shop at Laurel Hill Cemetery. The book is set up in sections and with in sections in an A-Z format. This makes for easy use when you are standing there in front of a grave marker and are trying to decode the meaning of the symbols.

This book does a good job of providing the history of tombs and grave markers through time. Tracing the evolution of the skull as a grave decoration is very interesting. The book provides excellent color photographs to support the text and for easy recognition while in the field.

I was actually surprised at just how meaning was, and in some cases still is, ascribed to various ornamentations. The book is exhaustive on the various types of flora and fauna and what they mean. 85% or more of the material deals with Christian burials and the bulk of the takes place in the United States of America. I wish that there had been more on other religions and cultures especially as expressed here in the United States.

This book is a good resource if you wish to understand what you are looking at when you visit burying grounds. This is especially true if you are visiting burial sites from 1900 and earlier when there was more formality and structure the burial and death process.

I did not realize just how many fraternal organizations in the USA there actually were or are. Since many of these organizations were founded for insurance and burial purposes there is a good chunk of history relating to these groups and some of their symbols and methods.

Learning and Remembering, 2008-10-14
by Katherine W. Mountjoy (Smithfield, VA)

I used this book while leading a "history hike" for our local Y.M.C.A. We hiked through several old cemetaries using this book as our guide. It was easy to use and made our trip very enjoyable as we learned about the symbols we saw on the old stones.

Even better that I thought, 2008-10-04
by kitjank (Hunt Valley, MD United States)

Need something to do? Grab this book and head towards the cemetery! Being more than just a final resting place, cemeteries offer so much more for the living than just a place to visit our dearly departed. There is so much history and symbolism in cemeteries and I can't think of a better tribute to those who lie beneath the stones than taking the time to understand who they were. Hanging out in a cemetery isn't creepy, it's a learning experience. This book is the perfect size and the photos and research really show the authors passion for this subject.

Fantastic, 2008-08-04
by Thomas E. Elliott (Goshen, IN United States)

An outstanding book about the symbolism of tombstone art. It shows an enormous amount of research and conveys the meanings in everyday vernacular. 5 stars for sure

Reference and Entertaining, 2008-07-01
by nataliegoes

This is the book I've always been looking for, and just didn't know it. Not only is this a fabulous reference book for taphophile, but it's also just good reading. As much time as I have spent wandering and working in cemeteries, I've learned some interesting facts. The book is also quite lovely, and well organized. And the facts seem well researched, and gives quotes from the appropriate religious texts when appropriate. It also gives more than the Christian context for many of the symbols and seems well balanced for an overview of American cemeteries. I knew within seconds of browsing this book I had to have it, and it's been nothing but wonderful since.