Piltdown was an archaeological site in Sussex where, in 1908 and 1912, human, ape and other mammal fossils were found together. Widely accepted as a creature who had a human cranium and an ape's jaw, the Piltdown 'Man' was, however, exposed as a fraud in 1953. Dr Weiner carefully reveals his own theories which led to this exposure and describes the controversies and difficulties which beset the scientific evaluation of the discovery. This new edition contains a foreword and afterword by Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum.

The "Canadian Oxford Dictionary" defines hoax as a "humorous or malicious deception," and hex as "a magic spell." In "Hoaxes and Hexes," Barbara Smith explores these intriguing reflections of human nature, showing our curious desire to believe in the impossible and explain the inexplicable. Here are tales of swindlers, charlatans and imposters, among them the flamboyant 19th-century financier known as Lord Gordon-Gordon; David Walsh, author of the horrendous Bre-X gold-mine hoax of the 1990s; and the eccentric Josef Papp, who claimed to have crossed the Atlantic in a homemade submarine. The persistent power of hexes is recorded in stories of cursed places-including a strange haunting in the Cypress Hills and a deadly Lake Superior lighthouse-and weird coincidences, such as the legendary Hollywood hex on Oscar-winning actresses. Whether you believe in the power of hoaxes or hexes, these bizarre stories show them to be a fascinating part of our history.