Empire de la Mort

The following information will be updated and links added when they are available, and I have no doubt that much of what I listed will be added to, changed, scrapped, spindled and mutilated over time, but . . . here is a list of the various events scheduled for the release of the book the Empire of Death. I live in Los Angeles, which is probably evident from the number of LA area events, but am certainly willing to travel if, so if by some happenstance anyone out there reading this has suggestions for adding to this list I would be very happy to receive them (you can email me at this site, info@empiredelamort.com).

Sept. 24: Book signing and photo exhibit at La Luz de Jesus, 7-10pm (4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles–this is the first time this book will be available for purchase)
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2011/Events/Empire-of-Death/Ossuaries.htm

Sept. 25: Lecture at LAVA (Los Angeles Visionaries Assn.) at Clifton’s 12-2pm (648 S. Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles):
http://www.lavatransforms.org/salon911

Oct. 8: Book Signing and photos at the opening of the Dia de los Muertos at the Folk Tree (217 S. Fair Oaks, Pasadena, CA)
http://pasadenanow.com/PasadenaEvents/2011/08/12/1313133318

Oct. 10-31: Photo exhibit at Sancho Gallery (1549 W. Sunset, Echo Park, Los Angeles)

Oct. 13: Talk and book signing at the Observatory (Brooklyn, New York)
http://observatoryroom.org/2011/08/25/the-empire-of-death/

JUST ADDED>> Oct. 15: Talk and book signing at Maple St. Books, New Orleans:
http://www.maplestreetbookshop.com/pages/view/279/279/Events

Oct. 20: Two in San Francisco: Talk and books at Paxton Gate at 6:30, and during the evening lecture and books at Trickster Salon (San Francisco, details to be updated)

Oct. 23: Author talk and book signing at Dog Eared Books (San Francisco, details to be updated)

Oct. 27: Author talk at the Brand Library (Glendale, CA)
http://www.brandlibrary.org/brand_lectures.asp

Oct. 30: Online–2pm PST (5pm EST), Fire Dog Lake Book Salon
http://fdlbooksalon.com/

Nov. 2: Talk and book signing at San Diego Dia de los Muertos, 2pm at The Adobe Chapel, 3963 Conde Street in Old Town San Diego.

I have sold my soul and created a Facebook page. So, for better or worse, you can now find Death on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/empireofdeath

No Twitter, however: Death does not tweet.

Thank you to Boing Boing for their very kind blurb:


http://boingboing.net/2011/08/12/the-empire-of-death-a-cultural-history-of-ossuaries-and-charnel-houses.html

The book is currently available for pre-order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Death-Cultural-History-Ossuaries/dp/0500251789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302660427&sr=8-1

I am also told that it is listed at various Amazon international sites (in Germany: Amazon.de, in Canada: Amazon.ca, etc.), and at various retailer sites, including the websites for Borders, Buy.com, and Flipkart.com. There is also an order page for it at Barnes and Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Empire-of-Death/Paul-Koudounaris/e/9780500251782.
All of these listing seem to be at some kind of standard discount of 37% for pre-order.

The publisher also has a link to some highlights from the book:
http://www.tandhhighlights.co.uk/9780500251782.html.

The above information will be updated in due time.

Many thanks to Gilles Thomas, who was kind enough to send me a copy of his new guidebook for the Paris Catacombs (thank you, appreciated). He has collected some very interesting archival illustrations. For those who are interested in visiting the Catacombs this would certainly be an excellent and informative guidebook. It is available in English, and can be found at: http://www.parigramme.com/Collections/Guides/Guides-illustres/The-Catacombs-of-Paris.htm

Several of my photos of the full skeleton relics covered in jewels wound up in this issue of the Sun. Actually, in theory this was supposed to be a syndicated version of my cover story from the Fortean Times (below), “Bones with Bling,” but in the version of the story that they wound up printing . . . well, like all things in the Sun, it has taken on a strange and wholly different form. But even if you are not into editorialized fiction, they did an enviable job with the photos if you jewel-encrusted skeletons are your thing.

Some people have asked me if the rather plain-looking icon which appears currently on Amazon is intended to be the book cover. It is not. My understanding from what the publisher has sent me is that the cover for the English-language book is this:

For those people who prefer their skulls painted, a version of an article I wrote for Epitaphs Magazine is now available online. Meanwhile, for those of you who prefer your skulls plain and unpainted, I apologize on behalf of myself and the people of Hallstatt.
Epitaphs Magazine: The Painted Skulls of Austria

Some of my images from the Palermo Catacombs are in the current Sun. They are black and white only, but if anyone is in desperate need of a newspaper with photos of dried bodies of dessicated Sicilians, well, there it is.

This was forwarded to me today, apparently it is the cover for the French edition of the book. Since it is done in partnership with Thames and Hudson, I don’t have any direct contact with the French publisher, but I will try to put an update here when I get news of its availability.