Memento Mori: Churches and Churchyards of England by Simon Marsden
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A book by Simon Marsden on cemeteries? How could that possibly lose? After I enjoyed Marsden’s Ghosthunter and The Haunted Realm, I expected to adore this book. Unfortunately, it suffers in comparison to the other two. Rather than focusing on tombstones and funeral monuments, the photos include stained glass, which depends more on the glassmaker’s artistry than Marsden’s photography. I wanted more focus and less inclusiveness, I guess. That said, there are still some amazing photos within.
The real disappointment in the book is the text. Rather than Marsden’s adventures in the churches he visits or any sort of historical grounding for the images, the text ranges from quotes from MacBeth (“out, out brief candle”) to snatches of poetry to passages from Dickens to a historical morsel now and then. Sometimes the text has to do with the image it accompanies, but often it doesn’t.
How disappointing. I guess I won’t be haring off to Amazon to buy another book just because it has Marsden’s name on it.
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If anyone would like to take this copy off my hands, I’d be glad to sell it for $20 + postage. It’s in excellent shape. Either leave a comment below or contact me through the form above. I take paypal.