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The American Way Of Death Revisited (Paperback, New ed of 2 Revised ed)
Loot Price: R267
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The American Way Of Death Revisited (Paperback, New ed of 2 Revised ed)
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List price R328
Loot Price R267
Discovery Miles 2 670
You Save R61 (19%)
Expected to ship within 9 - 15 working days
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In 1963 Mitford tore the American Funeral Industry to shreds with
'The American Way of Death'. This update is no less sensational,
with its continuing revelations of costly funeral products designed
to 'dazzle the mourners and facilitate the plunder of the next
kin'. American funeral directors live in a world of their own,
deleting the word 'death' from their vocabulary and constantly
publishing 'insider' lists of what sister Nancy Mitford would have
called 'U' and 'non U' words. A hearse is no longer a hearse but a
'casket coach'. A grave is an 'internet space'. Embalming is still
shrouded in total secrecy - untenable in an age when we can watch
surgical operations on our televisions. But the most significant
event since the 1963 book has been the emergence of monopolies, in
particular: Instead of bringing the expected lower prices, they
have raised prices and instigated the 'hard sell'. In a chapter on
'Funerals in England' the author fears that 'McDeath' has already
crossed the Atlantic in the form of the Texan SCI group, bringing a
host of unnecessary artefacts and high pressure sales
techniques.Mitford's fears are largely unfounded. Currently SCI
(UK) have abandoned American methods and have rapidly restructured.
This book is always going to need updating. It's a truism in
funeral services that in an industry where things appear to be
going very slowly on the surface, underneath, procedures, customs
and practices are continually on the move. (Kirkus UK)
In the early 1960s, this classic work of investigative journalism
was a number one bestseller. The savage and hilarious analysis of
America's funeral practices rocked the industry and shocked the
public. This up-dated edition (revised just before the author's
death) shows that if anything the industry has become more
pernicious than ever in its assault on our practices and wallets.
And it's an industry that - alas - sooner or later affects us all.
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