Includes bibliographical references (pages 358-363) and index.

Heaven: From Elysian fields to black eyed virgins and pearly gates, people have different images of what waits for us in the great beyond. We fear death but long for the just rewards. We create popular images of Heaven and imagine the possibilities. From Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life to Bergman's "The Seventh Seal, from the "Aeneid to C.S. Lewis, religion provides succor - but not all religions have the same concept of Heaven. Down the ages it has been mapped out as the ultimate travel destination and has been sold as a paradise garden, a rural Arcadia and a city of incomparable grandeur. Prompted by his own experience of bereavement, Peter Stanford sets out on a personal journey towards the place people call Heaven. In the company of scientists, philosophers, bishops, artists, writers and atheists, Stanford explores the promise of a reality of which we all have an image.

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