On Saturday, 14 January 2012, a black 2003 VW Jetta was broken into at the Hyatt Place hotel near the Indianapolis airport. I'd just had it detailed, but it didn't look new or flashy by any means. It was dirty, with deep scratches on the trunk. Yet for some reason, it was still appealing enough for somebody to smash the rear window and ransack the backseat. Three bags were taken. One was a small black computer bag, one was a green backpack, and the third was a Samsonite carry-on. In these bags were several books all on the topic of death and two notebooks. One was a hardcover orange book with graph paper inside; the other was an embossed copper-covered notebook with a polar bear and the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 on the front. This was my thesis research. I'd managed to get only about a third of it digitized over break. I really, really, really need it back.
I am an anthropology student. I study human mortuary ritual and see how our reactions to death tell about the way we live our lives. The books that were stolen were necessary for my senior thesis, and the two notebooks contained research that I cannot replicate, as it would require traveling to London. This thesis is due in March. I don’t have time to go back to London. All I had was my research, which was taken from me while I was on vacation with my family. I’m mad as hell and incredibly upset. The thief didn’t touch my stereo, my GPS, or the credit card that I’d accidentally left in the front seat. He or she managed to make off with three bags, a $150 netbook, a disc drive, a wireless mouse, a signed copy of Kickass #2, a Cthulhu puppet, my tablet pen… and basically my life’s work. And as much as I’d love the other things back, I really only care about that last one.
Now, the books had monetary value, yes, but not enough to make the theft worthwhile. Trust me on this. I know. I know this is a long shot, but if you, or anybody else knows anything about these books, please contact me at cmonesmi@nd.edu. I don’t care about the electronics or the luggage. I just want those books back… even just the two notebooks. Those are worth nothing to you or anybody else who’s not me. I won’t be pressing charges… I won’t even ask for a full name. I will pay for shipping back to me. If you or anybody you know has information about these books, please contact me.
The list of books is as follows:
Aries, Philippe. Western attitudes toward death: from the Middle Ages to the present. Translated by Patricia M. Ranum. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press [1974]
Choron, Jacques. Death and Western thought. [1st ed.] New York, Collier Books [1963]
Bardis, Panos Demetrios. History of thanatology : philosophical, religious, psychological, and sociological ideas concerning death, from primitive times to the present / Panos D. Bardis. Washington, D.C. : University Press of American, c1981.
Aries, Philippe. The hour of our death / by Philippe Aries ; translated from the French by Helen Weaver. 1st American ed. New York : Knopf, 1981.
Personal meanings of death : applications of personal construct theory to clinical practice / edited by Franz R. Epting and Robert A. Neimeyer. Washington [D.C.] : Hemisphere Pub. Corp., c1984. Epting, Franz R., 1937-
Kearl, Michael C. Endings : a sociology of death and dying / Michael C. Kearl. New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.
Richardson, Ruth. Death, dissection and the destitute / Ruth Richardson. London : Penguin, 1989, c1988.
Death, gender, and ethnicity / edited by David Field, Jenny Hockey, and Neil Small. London ; New York : Routledge, 1997. Field, David, 1942-
Davies, Jon, 1939- Death, burial, and rebirth in the religions of antiquity / Jon Davies. London ; New York : Routledge, 1999.
Death in England : an illustrated history / edited by Clare Gittings and Peter C. Jupp. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2000. Gittings, Clare.
Cox, Margaret, 1950- Life and death in Spitalfields, 1700-1850 / Margaret Cox. York : Council for British Archaeology, 1996.
Mytum, H. C. Recording and analysing graveyards / Harold Mytum ; with drawings by Joanna Richardson. York : Council for British Archaeology in association with English Heritage, 2000.
Davies, Douglas James. Death, ritual and belief : the rhetoric of funerary rites / Douglas J. Davies. 2nd ed. London ; New York : Continuum, 2002.
Death and the early modern Englishwoman / Lucinda M. Becker. Aldershot, Hampshire, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2003.
The psychology of death in fantasy and history / edited by Jerry S. Piven. Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004. Piven, Jerry S.
Guven, Ferit, 1966- Madness and death in philosophy / Ferit Guven. Albany : State University of New York Press, c2005.
Strange, Julie-Marie, 1973- Death, grief and poverty in Britain, 1870-1914 / Julie-Marie Strange. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Rothkrug, Lionel, 1927- Death, trust, & society : mapping religion & culture / Lionel Rothkrug. Berkeley, Calif. : North Atlantic Books, c2006.
Thank you.
I am an anthropology student. I study human mortuary ritual and see how our reactions to death tell about the way we live our lives. The books that were stolen were necessary for my senior thesis, and the two notebooks contained research that I cannot replicate, as it would require traveling to London. This thesis is due in March. I don’t have time to go back to London. All I had was my research, which was taken from me while I was on vacation with my family. I’m mad as hell and incredibly upset. The thief didn’t touch my stereo, my GPS, or the credit card that I’d accidentally left in the front seat. He or she managed to make off with three bags, a $150 netbook, a disc drive, a wireless mouse, a signed copy of Kickass #2, a Cthulhu puppet, my tablet pen… and basically my life’s work. And as much as I’d love the other things back, I really only care about that last one.
Now, the books had monetary value, yes, but not enough to make the theft worthwhile. Trust me on this. I know. I know this is a long shot, but if you, or anybody else knows anything about these books, please contact me at cmonesmi@nd.edu. I don’t care about the electronics or the luggage. I just want those books back… even just the two notebooks. Those are worth nothing to you or anybody else who’s not me. I won’t be pressing charges… I won’t even ask for a full name. I will pay for shipping back to me. If you or anybody you know has information about these books, please contact me.
The list of books is as follows:
Aries, Philippe. Western attitudes toward death: from the Middle Ages to the present. Translated by Patricia M. Ranum. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press [1974]
Choron, Jacques. Death and Western thought. [1st ed.] New York, Collier Books [1963]
Bardis, Panos Demetrios. History of thanatology : philosophical, religious, psychological, and sociological ideas concerning death, from primitive times to the present / Panos D. Bardis. Washington, D.C. : University Press of American, c1981.
Aries, Philippe. The hour of our death / by Philippe Aries ; translated from the French by Helen Weaver. 1st American ed. New York : Knopf, 1981.
Personal meanings of death : applications of personal construct theory to clinical practice / edited by Franz R. Epting and Robert A. Neimeyer. Washington [D.C.] : Hemisphere Pub. Corp., c1984. Epting, Franz R., 1937-
Kearl, Michael C. Endings : a sociology of death and dying / Michael C. Kearl. New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.
Richardson, Ruth. Death, dissection and the destitute / Ruth Richardson. London : Penguin, 1989, c1988.
Death, gender, and ethnicity / edited by David Field, Jenny Hockey, and Neil Small. London ; New York : Routledge, 1997. Field, David, 1942-
Davies, Jon, 1939- Death, burial, and rebirth in the religions of antiquity / Jon Davies. London ; New York : Routledge, 1999.
Death in England : an illustrated history / edited by Clare Gittings and Peter C. Jupp. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2000. Gittings, Clare.
Cox, Margaret, 1950- Life and death in Spitalfields, 1700-1850 / Margaret Cox. York : Council for British Archaeology, 1996.
Mytum, H. C. Recording and analysing graveyards / Harold Mytum ; with drawings by Joanna Richardson. York : Council for British Archaeology in association with English Heritage, 2000.
Davies, Douglas James. Death, ritual and belief : the rhetoric of funerary rites / Douglas J. Davies. 2nd ed. London ; New York : Continuum, 2002.
Death and the early modern Englishwoman / Lucinda M. Becker. Aldershot, Hampshire, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2003.
The psychology of death in fantasy and history / edited by Jerry S. Piven. Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004. Piven, Jerry S.
Guven, Ferit, 1966- Madness and death in philosophy / Ferit Guven. Albany : State University of New York Press, c2005.
Strange, Julie-Marie, 1973- Death, grief and poverty in Britain, 1870-1914 / Julie-Marie Strange. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Rothkrug, Lionel, 1927- Death, trust, & society : mapping religion & culture / Lionel Rothkrug. Berkeley, Calif. : North Atlantic Books, c2006.
Thank you.
