Dying, Death, and Grief: A Critically Annotated Bibliography and Source Book of Thanatology and Terminal Care

292 Pages·1979·5.12 MB·English

by  Michael A. Simpson (auth.)

DYING, DEATH,
AND GRIEF
A Critically Annotated
Bibliography and Source Book of
Thanatology and Terminal Care
DYING, DEATH,
AND GRIEF
A Critically Annotated
Bibliography and Source Book of
Thanatology and Terminal Care
Michael A. Simpson
Academic Depanment of Psychiatry
Royal Free Hospital
London, England
PLENUM PRESS • NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Simpson, Michael A
Dying, death, and grief.
Includes index.
1. Death - Bibliography. 2. Terminal care - Bibliography. 3. Grief - Bibliography.
I. Title.
25725.S55 [BD444] 016.128'5 78-27273
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-3470-5 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-3468-2
001: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3468-2
© 1979 Plenum Press, New York
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1979
A" r igh ts reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
This book is dedicated
in cheerful affection to
Jeff
and those like him
who had to learn too much
about all this too soon
Introduction
Death is a very badly kept secret; such an unmentionable
and taboo topic that there are over 750 books now in print
asserting that we are ignoring the subject.At no time in
history has there been so much attention paid to death as
a subject for scholarly and literary study,clinical and
research attention,or for cynical commercial exploitation.
We have exceeded even the literary genre of the Ars
Moriendi,which advanced the study of the art of dying
some 500 years ago.Such an interest has a long and
distinguished history,as we have demonstrated in the
recent Arno Press series of reprints of classic works.
Those who naively believe that the onlie begetter of
Thanatology lived in Manhattan,or who snobbishly frown
on the very term Thanatology as ugly modern jargon,should
attend to their study of history. The earliest use I have
encountered of this term in its modern sense is in the
book,in the Bibliotheque Imperial ,Paris: THANATOLOGIA-
Sive in Mortis Naturam Causas,Genera ac Species,et
diagnosi Disquisitiones;published in Goettingen,in 1795.
The student,teacher,clinician and researcher in this
area now has need for a guide to the massive literature,
which contains some gems and so much dross;for one can
easily waste scarce time and money on the wrong books and
resources.As funds are limited,it becomes increasingly
important to buy books wisely.This Bibliography grew from
the listings I have prepared for my students at various
times and in various countries,and from a common concern
among members of the International Work Group on Death
Dying and Bereavement,and of the Forum for Death Education
and Counselling,for the need for better bibliographic
resources for all of us working in this field.
This is the Fourth Edition of my Annotated,Critical
Review Bibliography of books in print (or otherwise still
obtainable) dealing with dying,death,grief,and related
vii
viii INTRODUCTION
subjects. Encouraged by the very positive responses and
support from the wide range of distinguished experts who
have received,read,and used earlier editions,I have made
this edition far more comprehensive and detailed,and more
widely available than any other.In the Second Edition,I
listed 147 books;in the Third,276.In this edition,I list
over 750 books-as well as over 200 films,audio-and video
tapes and cassettes,teaching materials,journals and other
relevant publications and resources.
Any Bibliography that provides more than a skeletal
listing,especially one based on critical reviews,is
subjective.(Man is an animal that is inherently and
absolutely incapable of wholly objective perceptions,though
he likes to pretend that he has this facility). Any
critic is licensed to be overtly subjective,and should
never be ashamed of his personal tastes and opinions,
for he can try to stifle them only at the expense of
becoming both dishonest and unreadable ( to display
either of these failings is regrettable;to display both
is unforgiveable).To complain that a critic is critical,
is like complaining that water is wet.If it isn't,you've
been cheated.Although the degree and extent of general
expert agreement with my ratings in previous editions
has been both surprising and agreeable,any intelligent
reader is bound to disagree with at least some of the
opinions expressed. That is inevitable.One advantage of
having one reviewer for a large body of books,is that
you can more readily calibrate his opinion to yours.Compare
my ratings with your own on those books with which you
are already familiar,and calibrate my ratings.If we
generally agree,then my ratings will be a reasonably
reliable guide for you.If we usually disagree,simply
invert my rating scale,and you will still have a reliable
guide when seeking,purchasing,or recommending books.
No one is helped by the "positive" and
"encourag i ng" attitude some critics feel obl iged to adopt
towards rubbish.Some of the literature on death is frank
rubbish---some mawkish and ghoulish,some over-simplified
beyond any relation to the reality of the phenomena
described;some is well-meaning (one hopes) but very ill
informed,and written by people with no personal experience
of the situation of the dying or the bereaved. Some authors
simply seek to take advantage of the sad,the naive,the needy,
and the bereft. Some may be simply jumping on the great
INTRODUCTION ix
Terminal Band-wagon,but simply unequal intellectually or
stylistically to the challenge.Some publishers seem to
function almost as a vanity press.All readers should be
encouraged to have the confidence to recognize bad books
when they encounter them,and not to tolerate them.lt is not
"negative" to do so;this is what the undisciplined and
over-exuberant growth of literature in this area has needed
badly for years.
I have included a reference to every relevant book
about which I have received any information;and such
information as is absent,was not provided by the Publishers,
nor available from other sources.1 have included an
indication of the most recent prices made available to me:
although in inflationary times such prices may be outdated
by publishers who seem better at re-pricing than at copy
editing;1 believe it is useful to indicate approximate and
relative prices. I apologise in advance for inaccuracies and
errors;although every attempt has been made to avoid these,
it is inevitable that some will slip through.Neither I nor
the publishers can be responsible in anY'way for problems
arising from over-literal reliance on this guide.
The main section of the book which follows,is a
numbered listing of books,arranged by title in alphabetical
order,with reviews and a general indication of quality by a
5-star rating system,as follows:
***** Strongly recommended. Buy and read.
**** Useful for general reference work,very good
in parts.
*** Useful for special reference,or for those making
a special study of this area.
** I find it hard to get excited about this book;
but it's relatively harmless.
* Not recommended.Not suitable for use at all.
The abbreviation PB indicates the paperback edition.
Then there is an Extra Listing of more recently identified
and reviewed books,and other books without review,many of
which are not recommended for use,and are not considered
to merit even a one-line review.
There follows an Index of Authors,by which the works
of individual authors may be located in the Main Listing
and the Extra Listing; and a Subject Index,which locates
x INTRODUCTION
books on particular subjects,and identifies the best books
in each category. Further Listings identify Journals in
this field; and Films (including a list of film distributors
and sources); Audiotapes and Videotapes/cassettes; other
teaching materials,filmstrips,packages and kits; and a list
of publisher's addresses.
The next section provides a series of carefully
selected references from the journal literature and of
books not in print,on various thanatological topics of
particular interest where there is not as yet a definitive
book. A penultimate section lists European works of
Thanatology---Scandinavian,French,Dutch and German.While
these may not be fully accurate or comprehensive listings,
they are included because of the importance of such works,
and the regrettable Anglo-American tendency to ignore
non-English works.
Finally,there is a Stop-Press listing of books and
materials reviewed or notified as we are going to press.
Despite frequent discussions of schemes for
collaborating in the production of such Bibliographies,I
have produced this edition,like the previous editions,alone.
Colleagues whose advice has been especially helpful have
included Prof.Loma Feigenberg of Stockholm with regard to
the Scandinavian and general literature,Prof.Georges Heuse
of Paris with regard to the French literature,Prof.Jurgen
Harms of Bloemfontein with regard to the German and
Dutch literature,and Joan McNeil with regard to films.
I hope this book will help guide you to the books and
other resources you need (and help you to avoid those you
don't need)and will aid you in all the good work that remains
to be done in all these areas.
London Michael A. Simpson
Contents
Categories Used in Classification • 1
Annotated List of Books •• 3
Supplementary List of Books. 137
Subject Index • • 161
Author Index 169
Journals 177
Fi 1m s • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 179
Film Distributors and Libraries 212
Audio-Visual Materials
Audiotapes and Audiocassettes • 215
Videotapes and Videocassettes • 219
Teaching Materials, Kits, etc. 225
European Literature
French 233
Scandinavian 235
German • • • • • 237
Dutch • • 238
Key Journal References 241
Films and Audio-Visual Media Available
in Great Britain
Fi 1m s • • • • • • • • 275
AV Materials 278
Stop Press Additions 283
xi
CATEGORIES USED IN CLASSIFICATION
1. BIBLIOGRAPHIES
2. DEATH
~eneral Books on Death
2.2 Death and Philosophy
2.3 Death and History
2.4 Death and Art,Literature,Novels
2.5 Death and Religion
2.6 Death and Culture,Anthropology,Cross-Cultural Aspects
2.7 Eschatology,Life after Death,Reincarnation
2.8 Death and Disaster,Violence,Mass Death
3. DYING
3:T!Psychology of Death,Attitudes to Death
3.2 Sociology of Death
3.3 Personal Accounts
3.4 Death and Children
3.5 Death and the Old
3.6 Miscellaneous,Including Self-Help Books
4. DEATH EDUCATION
4.1 General
4.2 Children,Junior School
4.3 High School,College
4.4 University
4.5 Clinical,Counselling Training
5. TERMINAL CARE AND COUNSELLING
5.1 General
5.2 Medical
5.3 Nursing
5.4 Psychological,Social
5.5 Religious
6. LOSS,GRIEF,& BEREAVEMENT
6.1 General
6.2 Personal Accounts,Widowhood
6.3 Professional & Clinical Aspects & Help
6.4 Counselling,Consolation,Self-Help
6.5 Wills,Probate,Law