Throughout history, and in many parts of the world today, Death was seen as a beginning rather than an end. As Professor Tony Walter demonstrates in this introduction to Death, the only book of its kind, even within the same street many people can have many different approaches to death. Professor Walter comes mainly from a sociological/anthropological/historical perspective, supplemented by physiological information and illustrative quotes, examples and photographs from literature, art and music. In doing so he is able to provide a unique map of the culture of death - the normative as well as the physical terrain we have to navigate before and after death.