| 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 |