"Readers will benefit from Davies' interdisciplinary approach and broad interests, and especially his inclusion of "secular" funerary practices alongside religious rites. The sheer number of topics presented this book will no doubt spark new ideas and raise new questions." -- Religious Studies Review "Davies's blend of personal theories about processes of grief and his survey of others' research offers important contributions in death studies." -- Reading Religion "In this third edition, Douglas Davies has once again crafted a book that skilfully draws together current multi-disciplinary thinking and examples to illuminate how humans respond to death through ritual, belief, art and architecture. Through his clear writing, not only does he summarise key issues of rituals and rites - making this an excellent resource for students and scholars alike - but also provides insightful suggestions for future death studies research." -- Erica Borgstrom, Lecturer in Medical Anthropology & End of Life Care, The Open University, UK "Professor Davies has revised his widely respected text - "Death, Ritual, and Belief" - as a place where classical texts of anthropology and theology interrogate the new. This new edition also investigates the novel entires into the world of death and dying - from robots to near-death experiences to the world of social media. An encyclopaedic and scholarly triumph!" -- Allan Kellehear, 50th Anniversary Professor (End-of-Life Care), University of Bradford, UK.