Description:
Hardback, 271 pages, intact, foxing and shading to pages and cover. Overall good condition. No illustrations. No index.No jacket. No inscriptions or other hand written marks. Robert Paterson (born 1712 or 1715, died 1801) was better known as Old Mortality.A collection of gravestone epitaphs and inscriptions typical of the Victorians' fascination with death. In an age when killer diseases such as cholera and smallpox were prevalent the death of old and young was still a relatively commonplace occurrence. The proper commemoration of the departed was always considered to be an important part of everyday life, but as middle-class wealth rose steadily during the 19th century the rituals of mourning, bereavement and burial became increasingly elaborate. Black clothing, grand funeral processions to the graveside, mementos of the deceased, elaborate monuments and memorials, finely built coffins and even photographs of the dead all became part of the funeral business. Victorians thus saw nothing squeamish… Read More
