Resting Places: The Burial Sites of Over 7,000 Famous Persons [Library Binding]

Scott Wilson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786410140 | ISBN-13: 978-0786410149 | Publication Date: July 2001

This massive and broad-ranging reference work alphabetically lists over 7,000 well-known people from film, theater, radio and television as well as all varieties of music, sports, history, government, crime and popular culture. Each entry provides birth and death dates, a concise summary of the subject's life and claim to fame, and the location of the person's final resting place. Entries often include the exact location of a celebrity's grave within a cemetery as well as places of cremation and sites where ashes were scattered. Source information is also provided.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work offers more than the title indicates. The names of the famous are listed alphabetically, with sequential index numbers followed by birth and death dates, primary occupation or position, and accomplishments, including major publications and creative endeavors. Noteworthy stories or facts on the nature or cause of death may also be given. The location of each subject's remains is provided by cemetery, city, state, and, in some cases, lot number; if he or she was cremated, the disposition of the ashes is indicated. Despite the book's macabre nature, the narrative is lively and serves as a good, brief biographical resource. Wilson, who has long had an interest in U.S. history, cemeteries, and genealogy, does not indicate criteria for inclusion but concentrates on "persons in the arts who are situated on the West and East coasts of the United States, and in England and France." Also included are many easily recognized professional sports and political figures. Examples of the diverse coverage include listings for Donald DeFreeze (a.k.a. Cinque) and members of the Symbionese Liberation Army who abducted Patricia Hearst and were shot by police; the Marlboro Man (two actors who both died of lung cancer); and the location of former President George Bush's future internment on the grounds of his Presidential Library in College Station, TX. There are at least a half-dozen other sources devoted to where the famous are buried, some less serious than this work. One of the more comprehensive isArthur S. Koykka's Project Remember (LJ 8/86), a comparable work that includes 5300 entries (vs. Resting Place's 7000) and emphasizes 20th-century persons arranged by field of endeavor. Resting Places includes an extensive bibliography of individual biographies and biographical reference sources, other burial references, and even some web sites. A burial-place index by city and cemetery referring to index numbers rounds out this well-formatted and easily accessible resource. Suitable for academic and public libraries. Stanley P. Hodge, formerly with Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, IN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Resting Places covers more than 7,000 persons from political, military, and cultural history, including the notorious and scandalous. Emphasis is on "persons in the arts who are situated on the West and East coasts of the United States and in England and France," but one also finds entries for Eldridge Cleaver, Pocahontas, Richard III, Babe Ruth, Joseph Valachi, and Antonio Vivaldi. Arrangement is alphabetical by person's name, and in many instances entries provide one or two paragraphs of biography. Each entry ends with the place of interment (including grave lot number) or information on how the remains were dispersed. In some cases there are details about grave inscriptions, legends, and regular visitors, such as the unknown person who marks Edgar Allan Poe's birthday by leaving a flower and a bottle of wine at his grave. The volume concludes with a bibliography of resources and an index that interfiles persons and place-names and refers the reader to the numbered entries.

This is not a necessary purchase but make for interesting reading and might be useful additions to the trivia collection. A good online source is [http://www.findagrave.com]. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 440 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786410140
• ISBN-13: 978-0786410149
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,238,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Guide on this Subject, December 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Resting Places: The Burial Sites of Over 7,000 Famous Persons (Library Binding)

Before I heard of this book, I came into contact with its author through the website "Find a Grave." For 20 years, I had been searching fruitlessly for the gravesite of prohibition gangster Legs Diamond. My interest was one of historical curiosity (I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that Diamond had been a boyhood hero of mine), and I meant no disrespect to anyone, living or dead, but it was impossible to locate this gravesite. I couldn't quite understand the reticence of cemetery personnel to divulge its location, considering that Diamond has been dead for over 70 years, but such was the case. No printed guide I consulted was helpful (the most I learned was the name and borough of the cemetery he was buried in and the fact that the gravesite was unmarked). I contacted the cemetery office, I talked to gravediggers in the cemetery, and was ready to give up completely when, in desperation and without any expectation of success, I went onto a "Find a Grave" forum and spelled out the frustrating experience I had been through. Mr. Wilson responded and within a day's time, using Mr. Wilson's information and contemporary photos of Diamond's funeral, I was able to locate the exact spot of his final "Resting Place." For those with an interest in this subject, Mr. Wilson's book is indispensable. His biographical descriptions are concise and accurate and one would be hard put to think of anyone deceased, famous or infamous, who is not included in this book. Actors, writers, criminals, politicians, athletes, politicians, scientists, artists- they're all here. The price may be steep, but, speaking for myself, it was well worth the investment.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only The Best, March 25, 2002

By 

Gail K. Powers "Abra" (Harbor Country, Mi,N. Naples, FL, Chicago area) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Resting Places: The Burial Sites of Over 7,000 Famous Persons (Library Binding)

This is the best purchase I have made in the past year. In spite of what seems like a hefty price tag, it is worth every penny.
Scott Wilson, through a large number of reputable contributors, has assembled a comprehensive list of the burial places of virtually every celebrity/historical figure that I can think of. In addition to providing burial locations, Mr. Wilson also provides information regarding the deceased person's claim to fame, cause of death, and anecdotal stories pertaining to his individual subject, as well as dates of birth and death.
While the book claims to provide over 7,000 "resting places", in actuality far more grave locations are provided as in many cases Mr. Wilson provides locations for prominent families on the basis of a prominent family member's name or a historial event such as Titanic victims.
In the four months since I have had this book, I have only come up with two or three people who are not listed in this book.
This book is essential to anyone who likes to visit cemeteries or as they say 'get within six feet of your favorite dead celeb'.

5.0 out of 5 stars Resting Places! Great Book!, September 26, 2002

By 

Bart (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resting Places: The Burial Sites of Over 7,000 Famous Persons (Library Binding)

This is Great book! I have been using it for a year now!