Childhood and Death in Victorian England by Sarah SeatonThis book is very detailed in the numbers and stories of what Victorian life was like for mothers and children of the time frame. Hearing accounts as if you were right there reading the stories from the newspapers themselves. We have forgotten what it was like to have children working the mines and the mills. They were expendable. We have come a long way, but if we do not remember the past we are doomed to repeat it. Amazing book, worth the read.
4/5 skulls
https://www.amazon.com/Undertaking-Life-Studies-Dismal-Trade/dp/0393334872/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KN0GK0YG3608&dchild=1&keywords=thomas+lynch+the+undertaking&qid=1601596298&sprefix=thomaas+lynch%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

Disconnected from Death by April Slaughter and Troy Taylor
This book is a major part of why we are working on building this museum in the first place. We have truly become so disconnected from death that is almost like a hidden enemy for us now a days. This book starts to really peel back the layers we have placed on death to keep it hidden from sight. If you love the idea about the museum, this is a book for you.

5/5 skulls

https://www.amazon.com/Disconnected-Death-Evolution-Funerary-Unmasking/dp/1732407908/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=disconnected+from+death&qid=1601597108&sr=8-1

The Undertaking by Thomas Lynch

This is a collection of stories by an undertaker about his life in the funeral industry. Most stories are just like basic everyday stories with death attached, some cute, some funny, but mainly just bland type stories. I was hoping for more witty humor, or fun stories. It does have some good background as to the life of a funeral director. So if you are thinking of getting into the trade, this one is for you.
4/5 skulls

https://www.amazon.com/Undertaking-Life-Studies-Dismal-Trade/dp/0393334872/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KN0GK0YG3608&dchild=1&keywords=thomas+lynch+the+undertaking&qid=1601596298&sprefix=thomaas+lynch%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

Human Remains by Helen MacDonald

I purchased this for the history of dissection and it's histories, and was actually disappointed sorely. There was next to no history of dissection or it's history. It pretty much focused on the extinction of the Tasmanian people and how their skeletons became a hot commodity. No not much history.

2/5 skulls
https://www.amazon.com/Human-Remains-Dissection-Its-Histories/dp/0300116993/ref=sr_1_2?crid=14FKTAS4LVR9Q&dchild=1&keywords=helen+macdonald+human+remains&qid=1601595870&sprefix=human+remains+helen%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-2

American Funeral Vehicles by Walter McCall

This book has TONS of amazing photographs. Though I wish they had done more on the horse drawn hearse and how that led to the shape and changes for powered vehicles, this is a collectors book. You can see how things have changed over the years IN PHOTOS! I learned quite a bit from one book, but this gave me visual reference. If you love hearses, get this book. It is worth the money.

4 out of 5 coffins

Amazon Link: 

​https://www.amazon.com/American-Funeral-Vehicles-1883-2003-Illustrated/dp/1583881042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542688285&sr=8-1&keywords=american+funeral+vehicles+1883-2003

Bellevue- Hospital History by David Oshinsky

Bellevue Hospital in New York has a long and somewhat sordid history. This book covers in great depth it's life, growth, and story. Though dry at times it is interesting to read about one of the oldest, if not oldest hospital in the United States. It has great information on how medicine and the medical world changed over the years. It was ground zero for so much. Read this, then you will understand a bit more about the story "10 days in the mad house" by Nelle Bly.

4 out of 5 coffins

Amazon Link:  
https://www.amazon.com/Bellevue-Centuries-Medicine-Americas-Hospital/dp/0307386716/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542687353&sr=8-2&keywords=bellevue
Link for 10 Days: 
​https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Days-Mad-House-Nellie-Bly/dp/1519649266/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542687415&sr=8-1&keywords=10+days+in+the+madhouse

Quackery- A brief History of the worst ways to cure everything by Lydia Kang, and Nate Pedersen

This book is funny, though some of the language and assumptions made were not the best choice of language. It still has a TON of great information. It is broken down really nicely in small chunks of related materials. If you are interested in all things Quack medical, or just medical history in general, this is a good book to read. I enjoyed it because it was not as dry as most on this subject.

4 out of 5 coffins

Amazon Link: ​https://www.amazon.com/Quackery-Brief-History-Worst-Everything/dp/0761189815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542687241&sr=8-1&keywords=quackery

​From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

If you have read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, then this one is going to amaze you as well. This time instead of self reflecting Caitlin takes you on a journey around the globe with some of her travels to see what death is like in other places. In order to understand the cultural differences placed on death it can really open our eyes to how backwards we can be. To help remove some of the ewwww factor from death it's self. I hope she travels some more and writes a follow up! This book was also amazing. Please pick up your copy today as a follow up for your book club! Heck, start a book club for her books!

Amazon Link: 
https://www.amazon.com/Here-Eternity-Traveling-World-Death/dp/0393249891/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0393249891&pd_rd_r=afbb6a0c-b703-11e8-93c3-43ef3083dbae&pd_rd_w=cWdtl&pd_rd_wg=PXJVP&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=53dead45-2b3d-4b73-bafb-fe26a7f14aac&pf_rd_r=B0R5E3K116YQ0S7YH0YW&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=B0R5E3K116YQ0S7YH0YW


5/5 Coffins

​Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

WOW. Let me just say if you ever wanted to catch a sneak peek behind the curtain of the funerary world, this book is it. This author is amazing and funny. It was very interesting to see how a woman would have to break so many steriotypes to enter into this field. I was looking at becoming a Mortician so I figured this would give me a glimpse of what I wanted to know, and it didn't dissapoint. Very well written, easy to follow, and just over all inspiring. There are so many lessons in here that even if you weren't looking at the funerary arts, that you can take away with this book. Read this in book club, I DARE YOU!

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Gets-Your-Eyes-Crematory/dp/0393351904/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536808699&sr=1-1&keywords=Smoke+gets+in+your+eyes&dpID=41Z%252Bcn7PwcL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

5/5 Coffins

The Medical Book by Clifford Pickover


Very interesting coverage of how medical has changed since B.C. till now. Though my only issue is the year assigned said what happened, but no end date, cure date or much really was ended in it. I would have loved more information like X bacteria was discovered in X year, X year vaccine was released. It was more of a general ball park on most subjects. Still eye opening on when things happened and how things were discovered.


4/5 Coffins


Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Book-Surgeons-Milestones-Medicine/dp/1402785852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516045741&sr=8-1&keywords=the+medical+book+pickover