While it can be traced to the 1700s, the term thanatology has gained traction in recent decades to refer to the study of death. Because of the breadth of the published material and the challenges of discovery in large bibliographic databases and catalogs, finding and identifying monographic material on death, dying, grief, and bereavement can be extremely challenging. Although there have been several bibliographical resources published on thanatology, those titles were incomplete, limited in scope, or leaned heavily toward one area of the field.

In Death and Dying: An Annotated Bibliography of the Thanatological Literature, John F. Szabo provides more than 2,200 citations of monographs on the science and study of death and dying. Among the areas this volume addresses are the psychological, philosophical, and attitudinal aspects; coping and dealing with the burdens of caregiving and working in the helping professions; instructional and educational topics for practitioners, primarily health care providers; cultural differences in bereavement rituals; and grief, mourning, and loss. In addition, notable titles on or relating to death and dying in popular culture, death themes in literature, methods of death, or specific ethical, policy, or public issues are also included when they contribute important information to subject areas on which the book focuses. This book will be helpful to students, researchers, academics, caregivers, health care professionals, psychologists, social workers, and anyone with an interest in death, dying, bereavement, or the care of the terminally ill.