Death provides us with some of our very best folklore. Some fear it, some embrace it, and most have pretty firm ideas about what happens when we die. Although some people may not want to talk about dying, it’s the only thing that happens to all of us–and there’s no way to get around it.

This Publication of the Texas Folklore Society examines the lore of death and whatever happens afterward. The first chapter examines places where people are buried, either permanently or temporarily. Chapter Two features articles about how people die and the rituals associated with funerals and burials. The third chapter explores some of the stranger stories about what happens after we’re gone, and the last chapter offers some philosophical musings about death in general, as well as our connection to those who have gone before.

KENNETH L. UNTIEDT is the Secretary-Editor of the Texas Folklore Society and teaches English at Stephen F. Austin State University. He earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Texas Tech University. He and his wife Tierney have four children and live in Nacogdoches, Texas.