Theoretical, historical and quantitative studies of the obituary -- Introduction -- Collective memory -- The historical sociology of death -- Bourdieu's social theory and the obituary -- The Times' obituaries in 1900 and 1948 -- The social value of death: the microworld of the editors -- The lives we choose to remember: a quantitative analysis (with Esperanza Bielsa) -- Memories burnished at the shock of death : discourse analysis of newspaper obituaries -- The politicians' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The writers' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The artists' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The sports obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The trade-unionists' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- Conclusion -- Tables -- Bibliography.