Professional mourners like Toloki have been in existence for thousands of years. Here are some articles that discuss professional mourning.

• Yiwu, Liao. “The Professional Mourner.” Paris Review 174 (Summer 2005): 7-17. (link to this article in Academic Search Complete)
• Milligan, Tony. “False Emotions.” Philosophy 83.2 (April 2008): 213-30. (link to this article in the Electronic Journal Center)

We also have two books about mourning rituals that mention professional mourners.

• Ashenburg, Katherine. The Mourner’s Dance. New York: North Point, 2002. (link to ALICE record)
• Alexiou, Margaret. The Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition. New York: Cambridge, 1974. (link to ALICE record)

The library has many other books and articles on mourners in general.  Here are some examples:

• Taylor, Lou.  Mourning Dress: A Costume and Social History.  Boston:  G. Allen and Unwin, 1983.  (link to ALICE record)
• Holloway, Karla F. C.  Passed On: African American Mourning Stories: A Memorial.  Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2002.  (link to ALICE record)
• Kalish, Richard A., ed.  Death and Dying: Views from Many Cultures.  Farmingdale, N.Y.: Baywood, 1979.  (link to ALICE record)
• Stephenson, John S.  Death, Grief, and Mourning: Individual and Social Realities.  New York: Free Press, 1985.  (link to ALICE record)
• Weizman, Savine Gross, and Phyllis Kamm.  About Mourning.  New York:  Human Sciences Press, 1985. (link to ALICE record)
• Habenstein, Robert W. and William M. Lamers.  Funeral Customs the World Over.  Milwaukee:  Bulfin, 1963.  (link to ALICE record)