Unique in focus and international in scope, this book brings together 10 essays about the material, metaphorical, and symbolic importance of blood. An interdisciplinary study that unites the work of noted historians and anthropologists Incorporates insights from recent work in symbolism, kinship studies, medical anthropology, the anthropology of religion, the sociological study of finance, and textual analysis Covers topics such as Medieval European conceptions of blood; blood and the brain; blood and the cultural study of finance; and blood types, identity, and association in twentieth-century America