In "The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries," Marilyn Johnson shares her love of well-written, sometimes quirky obituaries and offers stories about the writing styles and personalities of the many obituary writers she has met.
In "Life After Death," Nigel Starck, an Australian university professor, writes about the history and styles of obituaries in Australia, United Kingdom and United States.
"Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers," written by Alana Baranick of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Stephen Miller of the New York Sun and Wall Street Journal and Jim Sheeler, who has left reporting for academia, offers an obit-writer's perspective of obit-writing basics.
"Deadlines: Obits of Memorable British Columbians" is a collection of obituaries by award-winning writer Tom Hawthorn. He recounts the lives of the recently departed in an engaging style, finding anecdotes to illuminate personality, giving voice to those who no longer have one.
"Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Lived Extraordinary Lives" is an anthology of feature obituaries that Jim Sheeler wrote for The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News.
Heather Lende's "If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" illustrates life and death in a remote Alaskan town.
"Final Salute" grew out of Jim Sheeler's Pulitzer Prize winning feature about the Marines who inform military families of combat deaths.
Globe and Mail columnist Sandra Martin honours the lives of Canada's famous, infamous, and unsung heroes in this unique collection of obituaries of the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Header photo by Aimee Rivers. Used with permission.