Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses

My special guest is Bess Lovejoy here to discuss her book about Rest in Pieces.

A “marvelously macabre” (Kirkus Reviews) history of the bizarre afterlives of corpses of the celebrated and notorious dead.

For some of the most influential figures in history, death marked the start of a new adventure. The famous deceased have been stolen, burned, sold, pickled, frozen, stuffed, impersonated, and even filed away in a lawyer’s office. Their fingers, teeth, toes, arms, legs, skulls, hearts, lungs, and nether regions have embarked on voyages that crisscross the globe and stretch the imagination.

Counterfeiters tried to steal Lincoln’s corpse. Einstein’s brain went on a cross-country road trip. And after Lord Horatio Nelson perished at Trafalgar, his sailors submerged him in brandy—which they drank.

From Alexander the Great to Elvis Presley, and from Beethoven to Dorothy Parker, Rest in Pieces connects the lives of the famous dead to the hilarious and horrifying adventures of their corpses, and traces the evolution of cultural attitudes toward death.

🎉 10TH ANNIVERSARY LISTENER APPRECIATION SPECIAL

10 years of mysteries. 10 years of incredible listeners. Now, this one’s for YOU.

To celebrate a decade of Mysterious Radio, we’re introducing our Mysterian Listener Appreciation Special for just $2.99/month FOREVER. 

Become a Mysterian and unlock:

👽 AD-FREE LISTENING — Get our full library of episodes without the interruptions.

🛸 EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT — Go deeper with bonus episodes, lost audio, strange cases, unexplained encounters, UFOs, cryptids, ghosts, conspiracies and more.

🔎 THE MYSTERY NEVER STOPS — From Bigfoot and alien encounters to hauntings and the unexplained, your Mysterian membership takes you beyond the regular show.

🎓 SUPPORT SOMETHING BIGGER — Every Patreon contribution goes toward helping with my son’s college education. Your membership supports both the show and his future.

All of this for our special 10th Anniversary Listener Appreciation price of only $2.99/month. JOIN NOW - ENDS SEPT 30TH. 

Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting Mysterious Radio. I’m forever grateful. ❤️

NOTICE: This audio, RSS feed, and associated metadata are the exclusive intellectual property of Mysterious Radio. Unauthorized redistribution, modification, suppressed metrics, or insertion of third-party tracking prefixes or advertising into this feed without express written consent is prohibited and may constitute copyright infringement (17 U.S.C. § 1201), unauthorized computer access (18 U.S.C. § 1030), and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343). Violations will be reported to federal authorities.