About the author, Corliss Lamont graduated from Harvard university and did graduate work at New College University of Oxford and also did graduate work at Columbia University, eventually receiving his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia. About the book: the author, himself, said of this work, "'A Humanist Funeral Service' offers an alternative ceremony for those who do not wish to use traditional religious forms. It provides meditations and eloquent passages of prose and poetry (a list of acknowledgements is provided) to express appreciation, grief, and farewell when a friend or loved one dies."