Stories in Stone
by Douglas Keister
Certain symbols abound in modern Western culture that are instantly recognizable: the cross signifies Christianity, the six-pointed Star of David is revered by Jews, the golden arches frequently means it's time for lunch. Other symbols, however, require a bit of decoding-particularly those found in cemeteries. Cemeteries are virtual encyclopedias of symbolism. Engravings on tombstones, mausoleums and memorials tell us just about everything there is to know about a person- date of birth and death as well as religion, ethnicity, occupation, community interests, and much more.
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Soul in the Stone:
Cemetery Art from America's Heartland
by John Gary Brown
Celebrating master stone sculptors as well as grassroots and ethnic folk artists, Brown's striking images document the rich traditions of cemetery art as found throughout Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico. The art itself manifests a great many idiosyncratic forms and subjects including an Egyptian sphinx, a gigantic baseball, a salesman's suitcase, a rolltop desk, a car-engine shrine, plexiglass-enclosed dolls, life-size limestone statuary, hovering marble angels, elaborate wrought-iron crosses, along with more modest traditional motifs in etched-grantie and concrete.
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Guardians of the Soul:
Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints — Indiana's Remarkable Cemetery Sculpture
by John Bower
To create this book, Bower and his wife, Lynn, traveled throughout Southern Indiana, thoroughly exploring its cemeteries. The result is over 180 duotone images of memorial sculpture carved by local artisans.
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Italian Memorial Sculpture, 1820-1940:
A Legacy of Love
by Sandra Beresford
Italian monumental sculpture of the 19th century and early 20th centuries is among the most remarkable ever made, and quite extraordinarrly little known.