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