First published in 1984, Death, Burial and the Individual in Early Modern England traces how and why the modern reaction to death has come about by examining English attitudes to death since the Middle Ages. In earlier centuries death was very much in the midst of life since it was not, as now, associated mainly with old age. War, plague and infant mortality gave it a very different aspect to its present one. The author shows in detail how modern concern with the individual has gradually alienated death from our society; the greater the emphasis on personal uniqueness, the more intense the anguish when an individual dies. Changes in attitudes to death are traced through alterations in funeral rituals, covering all sections of society from paupers to princes. This gracefully written book is a unique, scholarly and thorough treatment of the subject, providing both a sensitive insight into the feelings of people in early modern England and an explanation of the modern anxiety about death. The range and assurance of this book will commend it to historians and the interested general reader alike.

Death in England provides the first ever social history of death from the earliest times 500,000 BC to Diana, Princess of Wales.. The book reveals how attitudes, practices and beliefs about death have undergone constant change: how, why and at what ages people died; plagues and violence; wills and deathbeds; funerals and memorials; beliefs and bereavement.. Richly illustrated - striking and often very powerful images.. In time with the spirit of the age and coming Millenium key scholars in their field write on their respective periods.. With the recent upturn of popular interest in death - through films,TV, books and newspapers - this book will prove stimulating to the general reader; to students of archaeology, art, history, medicine and sociology. -- .

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level This fascinating book, written in conjunction with the London National Portrait Gallery, examines what portraits are and what they can tell you about the sitter (and the artist) through examining some of the world’s greatest portraits. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type – Information book There is a useful glossary and index of pictures on pages 44-45 and a quiz on page 47, where readers have to guess the portrait from a given detail. Curriculum links – Art and design: the roles and purposes of artists, craftspeople and designers; History: Victorian Britain. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.