condolence book

{{Short description|Funeral custom}}

File:Condolence book for former Prime Minister, Lady Thatcher (8640477662).jpg, signed by visiting G8 Foreign Ministers]]

A condolence book or book of condolence is a book in which people may record their condolences following a death or great tragedy.

Following the death of a leading figure or great disaster, condolence books are placed in public places for members of the general public to use. When closed, the books are given to the relatives of the deceased or archived. Reviewing a condolence book may help grieving relatives come to terms with the reality of their loss.{{citation |title=Helping grieving people when tears are not enough: a handbook for care providers |author=John Shep Jeffreys |date= 2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0203487914 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KJJeJv565ScC&pg=PA236}}

After especially notable deaths, official records of the condolences may be compiled and reprinted. For example, after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Government Printing Office published a leather-bound, gilt-edged collection of official condolences in 1867.{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uRdfSQHLaPoC&pg=PA67 |title=When the bells tolled for Lincoln: Southern reaction to the assassination |author=Carolyn Lawton Harrell|year=1997 |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=9780865545878 }}

Digital condolence books are now placed on the Internet so people may write their thoughts online.{{cn|date=August 2023}}