| Chapter One: Introduction |
 | Animals and Death |
| The Beginnings |
| Death and Dreams |
| The Cult of Decay |
| The Prospect of Death |
| Chapter Two: What is Death? |
| Medical/Clinical Death |
| Other Definitions |
| Why Death |
| The Causes of Death |
| Death Claims us All |
| Chapter Three: What Dies - What Lives On |
| Suicide and Euthanasia |
| The End of It All |
| Body and Souls |
| The Soul's Appearance |
| The Souls' Residence in the Body |
| Two Entities |
| Chapter Four: Preparing the Body |
| Decomposition |
| Body Preparation |
| | Embalming |
| | No Preparation |
| | Cleaning and Dressing |
| | Decorating/Painting |
| | The Body in State |
| | Defleshing |
| | Mummification |
| Chapter Five: Disposing of the Deceased |
| The Western Funeral |
| Background to the Modern Funeral |
| | The Coffin |
| | The Hearse |
| | The Headstone |
| | The Burial Plot |
| | Earth Burial and Cremation |
| Variations |
| | Body to Science |
| | Cryonics |
| | Entombment |
| Other Disposal Techniques |
| | Excarnation (Dumping for Scavengers) |
| | Cremation |
| | In-Ground Burial |
| | Tombs and Crypts |
| | Burial Above Ground |
| | Water Burial |
| | Secondary Burial |
| | The Feast of the Dead |
| | Cannibalism |
| | Head Hunting |
| | Preservation |
| | Companions |
| | Grave Goods |
| Final Resting Place |
| Chapter Six: A Time to Mourn |
| Public Mourning |
| Placating the Spirits |
| Private Grief |
| The Funeral Rite |
| Chapter Seven: Where Do We Go From Here |
| Christian Concepts |
| Other Concepts |
| | Cessation of Existence/Eternal Sleep |
| | Alteration in Form |
| | Reincarnation |
| | The Test |
| | The Journey |
| | The Final Destination |
| | Residence in Objects |
| Why an Afterlife |
| Chapter Eight: Still With Us |
| The Resurrection Men |
| Modern Dissection |
| The Dead as Accuser |
| Corpses for Magic and Medicine |
| The Living Dead |
| | Zombies |
| | Vampires |
| Spirits and Ghosts |
| | Evil Ghosts |
| | Helpful Ghosts and Ancestor Worship |
| | All Saints' Day/Halloween |
| | The Day of the Dead |
| Interaction |
| Chapter Nine: The Living and the Dead |
| The Dead Body |
| The Deceased Soul |
| The Living |
| A Final Observation |
| References Cited |
