Douglas Keister
Douglas Keister is one of America’s most noted experts on cemeteries and mausoleums.
Doug began working full time as a photographer in the late 1970’s focusing, primarily, on the built environment. He was commissioned in 1986 to take photographs for the book Daughters of Painted Ladies: America’s Resplendent Victorians. Daughters of Painted Ladies was judged by Publishers Weekly to be one of the best books of 1987. In subsequent years, he authored and co-authored 39 more books, most of which focus on historic architecture.
Always interested in cemeteries and funerary architecture, he authored his acclaimed book on mausoleums, Going Out in Style: The Architecture of Eternity in 1997.
He soon became in demand for his expertise, and was invited to speak at prestigious venues, including the Smithsonian Institution and leading universities. The result of his ongoing funerary research was the book, Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography (2004). Stories in Stone has gone through multiple printings, and has become a must-have book for cemetery explorers and researchers. Keister has gone on to author (write and photograph) four more cemetery field guides: Forever Dixie (2008), Forever L.A. (2010), Stories in Stone New York (2011) and most recently, Stories in Stone Paris (2013).
Doug is often called upon by major media outlets to share his expertise and has consulted with the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He appeared as a cemetery expert on television and radio including CBS SUNDAY MORNING. He also writes extensively, including blogging for mausoleums.com.
