In the bestselling tradition of Stiff, this book expands on the subject of death, traveling across continents and centuries to reveal how distinctively various cultures react to the human's final act. From the medieval French funerals of kings and the Sudanese Danka burying alive its masters of the spear to the great Berawan tombs of Borneo and the catacombs of Paris, Kerrigan shares fascinating details of death that are as revealing as details of the living. A rich and comprehensive history of the world, with photos and illustrations throughout, from a wonderful storyteller. Michael Kerrigan is a London historian who writes for the Times and the Scotsman, and is currently editing the Reader's Digest Illustrated History of the World.