The release date is not until February 4th of next year, but I'm excited that this is book is already available to preorder! Here are some links:
This book has been a long time coming. It's a fully revised, updated, and largely rewritten edition of my first book, Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations which is long out of print. Here are some quotes praising the first edition -- and the new one is an improvement in every way!
"...a fascinating journey through ancient ideas about the afterlife.... But this is not simply a historical mapping of these early concepts, the author brings them to life and makes them relevant to contemporary concerns about what has become known as near-death-experiences.... This is a bold and engaging book. The author does not shy away from difficult issues and lays down a challenge to postmodern relativism and the idea that all human experience is a cultural or social construct." -- Prof. Gavin Flood.
“…one of the most interesting and methodologically reflective examples of comparative work in the study of religions.” -- Michael Stausberg, The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion.
"... a dense, rich, thought-provoking work that points at some interesting questions while making a good stab at proving the value of this type of comparative study. Even readers who don’t agree with all of Shushan’s conclusions will have to admire his willingness to mount a full-scale attack on some of the big questions, not only of the anthropology of religion, but of human existence in general. 9/10." -- James Holloway, Fortean Times.
"Conceptions of Afterlife in Early Civilizations is a very well-written book by a consummate scholar.... Shushan's book is a major contribution to the field of comparative religion and near-death studies. It is a 'must-read' for students of religious experience." - Prof. Ken R. Vincent.
"This book represents a scholarly and well-argued study, and is a landmark in both the anthropological study of afterlife conceptions and in research into NDEs. I recommend it highly, and I eagerly await its sequel, which according to reports in the blogosphere is now under way as a study of NDEs in relation to afterlife beliefs in worldwide shamanic and small-scale societies." - Dr. David Rousseau
"There are numerous positive reasons to read this book... Certainly in the area of 'near-death studies', Shushan's work is original, well argued, and much needed... The historical, theoretical, and ethnographic orientation of Shushan's work is a wonderful contribution to this important area.... [and] a valuable and important addition to the literature in religious consciousness studies, and the sociology of death and dying." - Prof. Allan Kellehear.
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