The third edition of the Handbook of Thanatology is an accessible volume that offers essential knowledge in the field of thanatology in a format that is practical for both novices and those with extensive experience in the field. Using ADEC's Body of Knowledge Outline, the editors guided authors for this third edition of the Handbook to elaborate on the content "baskets" suggested by the Outline's headings. Like the Outline, this edition of the Handbook is comprehensive but not exhaustive. Initial chapters emphasize foundational topics including definitions of death, death-related attitudes, the epidemiology and demography of death, end-of-life care, and memorialization. The middle chapters focus on grief theories, distinct conceptualizations and considerations of grief based on cause of death, and problematic grief. The volume concludes with chapters highlighting the broad topics of death education, professional practice, history of the field, social presentations of death, and non-death losses.

Heather L. Servaty-Seib, PhD, HSPP is a professor of counseling psychology at Purdue University-West Lafayette, IN, US. She is well published in the areas of college student grief and the broad use of the concept of loss in conceptualizing life events. She has co-edited two prior volumes (Assisting Bereaved College Students—Jossey Bass; We Get It: Voices of Grieving College Students and Young Adults—Jessica Kingsley) and her scholarship has been used to establish student grief absence policies at higher education institutions across the United States. She is a past president of ADEC and received the ADEC Death Educator Award.

Helen Stanton Chapple, PhD, RN, MA, MSN is a professor at Creighton University. She teaches online in the Masters in Bioethics Program. Her 20 years at the bedside included oncology, hospice, research, and ICU nursing. She is a past president of ADEC, past chair of its Credentialing Council, and received the ADEC Service Award. She has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters. Her book, No Place for Dying: Hospitals and the Ideology of Rescue is published by Routledge.

"The Third Edition of the Handbook of Thanatology expands upon research, scholarship, and practice, appreciating multicultural concerns and issues beyond just a North American perspective. Each of the 22 chapters, authored by an international 'Who's Who' in the death and dying field, is supported by ADEC's Body of Knowledge Outline. The resources and references at the conclusion of each chapter are worth the price alone!" - Ben Wolfe, MEd, LICSW, Fellow in Thanatology, Founder and former Director/Grief Therapist, St. Mary’s Medical Center’s Grief Support Center, Duluth, MN; Past President, Association for Death Education and Counseling; Adjunct Faculty, University of MN, Duluth School of Medicine.

"This is it: the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the entire field of Thanatology available! Every aspect of contemporary theory, research, and practice in the death, dying, and bereavement field is represented in the Handbook. Moreover, the authors are, without exception, pointedly representative of and accomplished in their topic areas. It will serve as a primary reference source for years to come for anyone whose work intersects with Thanatology." - John R Jordan, PhD, clinical psychologist specializing in suicide and traumatic loss and coauthor of several books including: After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief– Second Edition, Grief After Suicide: Understanding the Consequences and Caring for the Survivors, Attachment Informed Grief Therapy: The Clinician's Guide to Foundations and Applications.

"After serving as an oncologist for more than 20 years, I have discovered that one of the most glaring gaps in modern medical training, is the lack of didactic discourse on how to cope with the dying process. This Handbook is the most comprehensive work I have read, in this genre. I highly recommend it to any professional responsible for guiding individuals through grief, loss, and death." - Dr. Maqbool Halepota, MD, FACP, CPE, Certified Medical Oncologist and Hematologist; Human Anatomy Lecturer at Sindh Medical College, Karachi Pakistan; Board Certified in Internal Medical and Oncology; author of peer-reviewed articles in Journal of Clinical Oncology and Journal of Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology

"As a physician of comprehensive patient care for over two decades, I found the Handbook of Thanatology to be a ground breaking compilation of much needed knowledge and enlightenment. It serves as a response to the underrepresented aspects of living with death and dying which I believe will assist in initiating the next generation of dialogue and education among my colleagues in the medical community." - Dr. Kenneth Pettit, DO, Board Certified by American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians with subspecialty in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Certified Hospice Medical Director, author of They Call Me Doctor Death