FROM OUR EDITORS

Even though it is widely thought the human adventure ends with death, for a select and celebrated few it continued well beyond the grave. Exhuming some fascinating facts from history, this anthology of "necro-biographies" chronicles the bizarre after-death exploits of several prominent corpses, including: * Joseph Haydn, whose head was fought over for 145 years; * Cardinal Richelieu, whose mummified face was kept as a family heirloom--in someone else's family! * Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose wife kept his heart pressed between the pages of his most famous work; * Oliver Cromwell, whose corpse was dug up so he could be "properly" hanged for treason; * John Barrymore, whose final performance took place several days after his death; * and Buffalo Bill Cody, whose casket was covered with cement to discourage grave robbers. From lost ashes to stolen corpses to wandering body parts--this collection of post-mortem exploits provides provocative postscripts to 35 famous lives. B&W photos.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is commonly thought that after death and burial the remains of an individual are left to "rest in peace" --but history reveals that in many instances this has most definitely not been the case. Demonstrating this, After the Funeral follows the postmortem exploits of the bodies--or parts of bodies--of thirty-five famous and infamous people.