Tag Archives: Jewish cemetery

Cemeteries, Paparazzi Style

Posted on May 5, 2011 | 10 comments

Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and FamousLaid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous by Patricia Brooks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the very first page, the breezy tone of this book put me off. It’s written in a cheerful star-stalker paparazzi style that doesn’t take the concept of poking around graveyards respectfully enough for my taste.

Even so, it is a surprisingly comprehensive guide to the famous dead of California. Ranging beyond the Forest Lawns and Hollywood Forever, the guide pokes into Angelus-Rosedale (one of my favorite Southern California cemeteries), visits the crypt of the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, and explains how to get into Westwood Village Memorial Park, which is not nearly as easy as it should be.

Leaving LA behind, the book covers new ground by featuring graveyards in Malibu, Santa Monica, San Diego, and the desert. Those instances are worth the price of the book to me.

In comparison, the Northern California part of the book is condensed to less than 50 pages, so it feels tacked on. This material is much better covered by books focusing on Colma or the California Missions.

If you’re interested in old movies and keep a tab permanently open to IMDB, this is the cemetery guide for you. Otherwise, you may discover (as I did) that there are a whole lot of people you’ve never heard of buried in California. More photographs would have helped.

You can get your own copy on Amazon: Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous

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City of Souls

Posted on April 29, 2011 | 5 comments

City of Souls: San Francisco's Necropolis at ColmaCity of Souls: San Francisco’s Necropolis at Colma by Michael Svanevik

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

California’s Colma is unique in the U.S. as a city founded to safeguard the rights of the dead. This little book traces Colma’s history from a fog-bound valley of pig and potato farms to a city of 17 cemeteries with millions of permanent residents.

Colma was founded after burials were banned in San Francisco.  Pioneers buried at Mission Dolores, as well as in the Masonic, Odd Fellows, Catholic and Protestant Cemeteries were uprooted and transferred to new graves in the Colma cemeteries.

Each of the Colma cemeteries receives its own brief chapter, spotlighting important or interesting burials, which are marked on a graveyard map. The variety of memorials is astounding — from the millionaire mausoleums of Cypress Lawn to the handmade monuments crowded into Pets Rest, from the Eastern European flavor of the Serbian graveyard to the East Asian texture of the Japanese or Chinese cemeteries — all documented by black-and-white photos. There’s a lot here to delight the eye and entertain the intellect. This little book is a must for anyone interested in cemeteries.

Although new copies can be hard to find, several are available on Amazon: City of Souls: San Francisco’s Necropolis at Colma

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The ultimate cemetery travel inspiration

Posted on March 21, 2011 | 8 comments

The Cemetery Book: Graveyards, Catacombs and Other Travel Haunts Around the WorldThe Cemetery Book: Graveyards, Catacombs and Other Travel Haunts Around the World by Tom Weil
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have a friend who likes to travel? This is the ultimate guidebook for people who love cemeteries. Travel writer Tom Weil rambles through graveyards on every continent, describing what he’s seen and filling in the history of the places. It’s a wonderful book, if somewhat painful to read: there are just too many places I want to see now! The book suffers (in my opinion) from a lack of illustrations, but it serves as a wonderful inspiration to go out and fill that void. Maybe if you buy the book, your friend will pony up for the planet tickets?

This review originally appeared on Gothic.Net in December 1999, as part of my “Don’t Go to the Graveyard without Me” review.

Copies are available on Amazon: The cemetery book: Graveyards, catacombs, and other travel haunts around the world

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100 Cemeteries to Visit Before You Die

Posted on March 20, 2011 | 13 comments

Famous and Curious Cemeteries: A Pictorial, Historical, and Anecdotal View of American and European Cemeteries and the Famous and Infamous People WhoFamous and Curious Cemeteries: A Pictorial, Historical, and Anecdotal View of American and European Cemeteries and the Famous and Infamous People Who by John Francis Marion

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This encyclopedia from 1977 explores 51 international cemeteries in depth, followed by visits to 22 American Military graveyards from Mexico City to North Africa, which special emphasis on the battle monuments to the World Wars in Europe. At the end of all of that, it breezes through a hundred more burial grounds that rate a paragraph or two. All of this is impeccably researched and documented with more than 250 black-and-white photographs. If you are new to visiting cemeteries, this is your 100 Places to See Before You Die.

Amazon has several listings for the book: Famous and Curious Cemeteries: A Pictorial, Historical, and Anecdotal View of American and European Cemeteries and the Famous and Infamous People Who

It’s worth tracking down a copy for yourself.
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Brief thoughts about a book you shouldn’t miss

Posted on March 13, 2011 | 11 comments

The American Resting Place: 400 Years of History Through Our Cemeteries and Burial GroundsThe American Resting Place: 400 Years of History Through Our Cemeteries and Burial Grounds by Marilyn Yalom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The definitive text on burial grounds in America, this provides a guidebook for all your cemetery quests. I honestly cannot rave about it enough. Yalom provides solid information, leavened with a touch of personal reflection inspired by the graveyards she visited. My only regret is that Reid Yalom’s exquisite photographs are grouped at the front of the book, which necessitates a lot of flipping pages back and forth. Final thought: This is the cemetery book you need to get. It looks dry and intimidating, but I promise you it’s anything but.

Copies are available on Amazon: The American Resting Place: 400 Years of History Through Our Cemeteries and Burial Grounds

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