Condolence book

A condolence book for Margaret Thatcher, signed by visiting G8 Foreign Ministers

A condolence book or book of condolence is a book in which people may write their condolences after a death or great tragedy.

After the death of a leading figure or great disaster, condolence books are put in public places for members of the general public to use. When closed, the books are given to the relatives.[1]

After especially notable deaths, official records of the condolences may be reprinted. For example, after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Government Printing Office published a leather-bound, gilt-edged collection of official condolences in 1867.[2]

References

  1. ↑ John Shep Jeffreys (2004), Helping grieving people when tears are not enough: a handbook for care providers, ISBN 978-0203487914
  2. ↑ Carolyn Lawton Harrell (1997), When the bells tolled for Lincoln: Southern reaction to the assassination, ISBN 9780865545878