Are you starting to think about Spring and Summer projects already? Chomping at the bit to get back out into the field, visiting cemeteries? I know I am. The snow is gone, and the weather is warming up, which has me daydreaming about cemetery road trips. Maybe you have some bigger projects in mind, like mapping out a local cemetery?

I might just have the perfect book recommendation for you!

Recently, Robert Perry, also known as the Bone Finder, reached out to me about reviewing a book. He had seen one of my previous book reviews and thought I might be interested in reviewing his new book Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications, an illustrated reference guide. Perry describes his book as a training manual for cemeterians and professionals that service the cemetery industry. I received a free advanced PDF copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review. 

Robert “Bob” Perry is a specialist in cemetery geophysics and has many years of experience using ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves. He has worked with more than 500 cemeteries within the United States, as well as law enforcement and paranormal investigators. Perry has also been featured on the History Channel, the Travel Channel, and Destination America.¹

Published in 2022 by Topo Graphix LLC, Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications provides readers with a hands-on approach to field mapping a cemetery, using both field-mapping techniques and the basics of mapping software.

Here is a snippet of the synopsis from the author’s website:

“This publication covers all phases of cemetery mapping, from site surveying and computerized drafting to the software applications used every day in the business. This one-of-a-kind publication includes tutorials on subjects such as field mapping, scanning, and redrafting old cemetery maps, and how ground-penetrating radar is used to locate unmarked graves and open burial spaces.”

Currently, this book is only available as a limited-edition spiral-bound field manual that can only be purchased through the author’s website, topographix.com. I’m not going got lie, it is a little pricy. The author did share with me that a less expensive perfect-bound version and PDF version will be coming out soon. The advanced PDF version I received features full-colour images, illustrations, and diagrams and is 132 pages. The book also contains four detailed cemetery map examples at the back.

Although it has a short page count, this book holds a lot of information. The chapters on how to use various mapping software are very thorough, walking readers through step-by-step. The software heavily featured in the book are CorelDRAW and AutoCAD, both software I have heard of but have never used. I am however very familiar with Adobe Illustrator—I am a graphic designer by trade. Because of my familiarity with that program, which is briefly mentioned in the book, I was able to follow along fairly easily with the walk-throughs. CorelDRAW does seem to have similar features and capabilities, albeit they are named differently. 

Although I have no aspirations to ever map out a cemetery, it is interesting to see how much work and detail goes into it. The sections I found most interesting were the pieces around the author’s background and experience, as well as the case studies explored later in the book. The how-to piece is of course the main focus of the book, but the case studies show why creating these maps and doing that work is important. They are also interesting, like the example of the vampire grave! The case studies do well to illustrate the why, but I found they were very short. I would have liked to see those examples expanded upon a little bit more. 

Overall, I found Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications a great introduction to the software programs used in the field of cemetery mapping. It’s an informative how-to and starting point for those looking to create their own cemetery maps. This would be a great resource for tech-savvy folks who are looking to get into the field of cemetery mapping, or cemetery groups looking to map their respective cemeteries. 

Is cemetery mapping something you are interested in getting into? Do you think there should be more resources like this available on the market? Don’t be shy to share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading! 

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I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.

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References:

1. How-To Guide on Cemetery Mapping Techniques Released | The American Surveyor