Richmond Cemeteries

Exploring Richmond Virginia’s Historic Burial Grounds

The book!

It is with joy and relief that I can finally announce a publisher and a publication date for my book that grew out of this cemetery project.

Death and Rebirth in a Southern City will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in October 2020. I am grateful for the support of the press as well as the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU among so many others who have made it possible. The book will be published in paperback upon its release, as it was written with non-academic audiences in mind. I am writing the acknowledgements section now, a daunting task given the number of folks who have helped along the way. Johns Hopkins has a great list in history as well as strengths in health and regional studies. We have not settled on a cover yet.

Fingers crossed for a happy landing in October, a good month for a cemetery release.

PS: cover reveal – https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/death-and-rebirth-southern-city

RyanSmith

4 responses to “The book!”

  1. Faulkner Fox Avatar
    Faulkner Fox

    I am looking forward to reading this book!

    Reply
  2. Pam Greene Avatar
    Pam Greene

    Great News, even if the title indicates city – many people who utilized “city” burial sites were residents of other areas. How about posting a table of contents or more description of what we can hope to discover in your new book?. Hope that you have included an extensive biblio and/or “check these sources. for more information.”

    Reply
    1. RyanSmith Avatar
      RyanSmith

      Hi Pam, thanks for your question and suggestion. The book has extensive citations pointing toward what I hope is a broad range of useful sources. Will show table of contents soon. And you make a great point about the connection between “city” and surrounding areas. I discuss comparative examples from Petersburg, Norfolk, Charlottesville, and beyond, as well as the relationship between the expanding capital and the rural countryside, where burials on family properties were much more common. But the book does point to the longevity and great size of the capital’s cemeteries as occupying a very different type of place on the landscape.
      In the mid-1800s, the city changed its rules for burial in Shockoe Hill Cemetery to allow white residents from the counties burial there due to demand and the new competition of Hollywood Cemetery, which was actively marketing to residents outside the city.

      Reply
  3. Ana Edwards Avatar
    Ana Edwards

    A Belated Congratulations! Your support of community-centered cemetery reclamation work has been an important part of your scholarly work! So, we thank you for that as well. Can’t wait to read it and refer to it.

    Reply

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