Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear

The author of A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities combs the annals of science and folklore for fascinating tales of people being buried alive to uncover evidence that the practice was widespread in the 1800s.

The author combs the annals of science and folklore for tales of people being buried alive to uncover evidence that the practice was widespread in the 1800s.

Edgar Allan Poe did not invent the premature burial. In fact, as this history shows, 19th-century medical journals as well as fiction contained accounts of people buried alive, and fear of such a fate was common enough that security coffins were sold with bell ropes or escape hatches. Bondeson (U. of Wales) explores medicine, folklore, history, and literature to uncover why such fears arose and whether they were warranted. A physician as well as a spritely writer, Bondeson has carved out a specialty for himself in unraveling strange histories of peculiar events and beliefs; his previous books include A cabinet of medical curiosities , The Feejee mermaid , and The London monster . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

General

ISBN		9780393049060
Fiction/Non-Fiction		Non-Fiction
Publisher		W W Norton & Co Inc
Pages		320
List Price		$24.95
Author		Bondeson, Jan
Publication Date		03/01/2001
Release Status		Out of Print
Format		Hardcover
Language		English
Measurements		Height: 8.75 Inches (US) Width: 6.5 Inches (US) Thickness: 1 Inches (US)