TOMB WITH A VIEW: The Stories and Glories of Graveyards

From Flanders Fields to Milltown to Kensal Green, to melancholy islands and surprisingly lively ossuaryies, this is a considered and moving book on the subject of how the dead are remembered, deftly capturing a sense of place and history. Bursting with anecdote and examining our relationship with remembrance (especially now in with the death of Her Majesty the Queen), the author's humanity acts as a beacon of light. We are taken on a walk through graveyards of Britain guided by one of the most engaging wordsmiths and enter a grave new world of fascination and delight. Who are London's outcast dead, and why is David Bowie their guardian angel? What is the remarkable truth about Phoebe Hessel who disguised herself as a man to fight alongside her sweetheart, and went on to live in the reigns of five monarchs? Why is a Bristol cemetery the perfect wedding venue for goths? Who was Peter the Wild Boy and why are people still leaving flowers at his grave centuries after his death? If you have ever wandered through crooked headstones, push open the rusting gate and push back the ivy and take a look inside in a book that shines light on how we remember the ones we've lost. 352pp, illustrated paperback.