Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Keystone State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Authors Mark Nesbitt and Patty A. Wilson shine a light in the dark corners of Pennsylvania and scare those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From apparitions of fires and soldiers struggling in the cold at Valley Forge, to ghostly children stalking dormitories at Gettysburg College, these stories of strange occurrences are sure to send a chill up your spine. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

Archaeobotanical studies constantly encounter the carbonized grains of grasses, cultivated and wild, but the vast diversity of wild species that are potentially present has made identification of archaeological material fraught with difficulties. This volume provides an invaluable tool for mastering these difficulties. Based on years of laboratory study of an extensive reference collection, this book gives expert guidance for the identification and interpretation of grass seeds, focusing on those species that occur in the Near East and Europe.

Archaeobotanical studies constantly encounter the carbonized grains of grasses, cultivated and wild, but the vast diversity of wild species that are potentially present has made identification of archaeological material fraught with difficulties. This volume provides an invaluable tool for mastering these difficulties. Based on years of laboratory study of an extensive reference collection, this book gives expert guidance for the identification and interpretation of grass seeds, focusing on those species that occur in the Near East and Europe.

This volume contains the final publication of the archaeobotanical remains recovered from four sites at the village of Asvan in eastern Turkey, which were excavated between 1968 and 1973 as part of the archaeological rescue project in the Keban Dam region. An extensive programme of archaeobotanical research involved detailed study of the modern flora, the observation and recording of pre-mechanised agricultural practices and large-scale recovery of ancient botanical samples by water sieving. The report traces the evolution of cultivation in the region from the Chalcolithic to the Medieval period, charting the dominance of emmer and hulled barley in the Chalcolithic period, the emergence of free-threshing wheats in the Early Bronze Age and the introduction of irrigated summer crops, especially millet, by the Hellenistic period. Detailed attention is also given to the assemblage of weed seeds as proxy evidence for environmental conditions and climate change from around 4000 BC to the present day.

A collection of frightening stories, including the Civil War ghosts of Gettysburg, spirits at John Brown's tannery, the fiddling ghost of Potter County, hauntings at the Eastern State Penitentiary, the mysterious indelible handprint, and many more.

Contents:
Introduction
Part One - The Seeds of Time
The Hunter-Gatherers
The Origins and Spread of Agriculture
Part Two - The Migration of Plants
Gathering Food from the Wild
Grains
Roots and Tubers
Fruits
Herbs and Vegetables
Nuts and Seeds
Spices
Caffeine and Alcohol
Hallucinogens
Medicines
Fragrant Plants
Ornamentals
Fibre and Dyes
Wood
Other Uses of Plants
Part Three - Today and Tomorrow
The Industrial Age
Invasives
Evolution and Biodiversity of Crops
Conservation of Wild Plants
Chronology
Glossary
Index

Biocultural collections are plants and animals used by people, products made from them, and/or information and archives about them. They are numerous and diverse, including biological specimens, natural products (e.g., medicine, food, fiber, oil, latex, etc.) and cultural artifacts (e.g., clothing, baskets, weaponry, tools, etc.) from around the world. Biocultural collections benefit scientists, conservationists, development workers, teachers, students, and the general public. However, these collections are poorly curated and data based - if at all - making them largely inaccessible for research and reference. At a time when wild crop relatives, landraces, and knowledge about traditional plant uses are being lost at an alarming rate, our biocultural collections are also degrading and being orphaned or lost. Curating Biocultural Collections aims to address these issues and develop standards of curation, and help institutions to properly care for collections that have been severely neglected and under-utilized. Written and edited by experts from around the world, this book demonstrates that with proper curation, data basing, and on-line and physical access, these valuable resources can be used in research, conservation, development and education, and preserved for future generations. Kew Publishing in association with Missouri Botanical Garden Press

"Ghosts of Gettysburg VII" is the newest addition to Mark Nesbitt's popular book series. It contains a multitude of stories never heard in public before, including an entire chapter dedicated to the eerie and unexplainable events experienced by tour guides while conducting their tours for the Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours. The first volume in the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" book series was released in October 1991. Mr. Nesbitt started collecting ghost stories from Gettysburg in the early 1960s. In the 1970s, he worked as a Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and was assigned to live in some of the historic houses on the Park. His collection of ghost stories grew. As long as visitors to the Gettysburg area continue to share their "ghostly" experiences, Mr. Nesbitt will continue to add to the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" book series.

"Ghosts of Gettysburg VI" is the sixth volume in Mark Nesbitt's popular "Ghosts of Gettysburg" book series. This volume includes tales of eerie events in the Civil War era house where the Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours originate, "shadow people" or "dark ghosts," a haunted clock, and more ghostly encounters on the Gettysburg battlefield. The first volume in the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" book series was released in October 1991. Mr. Nesbitt started collecting ghost stories from Gettysburg in the early 1960s. In the 1970s, he worked as a Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and was assigned to live in some of the historic houses on the Park. His collection of ghost stories grew. As long as visitors to the Gettysburg area continue to share their "ghostly" experiences, Mr. Nesbitt will continue to add to the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" book series.

This is the story of two youthful combatants caught up in one of the most famous and important campaigns in all history. After two years of war and thirty-five days of intense marching along a hundred miles of hot summer roads, Thomas Ware, a Confederate soldier from rural Georgia, and Franklin Horner, a Union soldier from the coal country of Pennsylvania, end up fighting on virtually the same battlefield at Gettysburg. En route to that fateful day, both make daily entries in small, leather-bound diaries they carry. They write about what's important to them-receiving mail, writing letters, having something to eat, surviving combat. Historian Mark Nesbitt places the entries into the larger context of the war and amplifies the diarists's commentary.

Just the Tonic is an accessible yet informative history of tonic water: its connections to the major disease malaria, the cure discovered in the bitter bark of the cinchona tree and its constituent alkaloid quinine. It is a history deeply intertwined with botanical exploration and empire in the Victorian era, and the role of botanical gardens such as Kew.

In Cursed in Virginia, Mark Nesbitt recounts tales of genuine maledictions intended to invoke evil and unease across the state the Old Dominion State. The pages will bring to life these stories, letting you decide whether the resulting tragedies were simply bad luck, coincidences...or something far more sinister.

In Cursed in Pennsylvania, Mark Nesbitt and Patty A. Wilson recount tales of genuine maledictions intended to invoke evil and unease across the state the Keystone State. The pages will bring to life these stories, letting you decide whether the resulting tragedies were simply bad luck, coincidences...or something far more sinister.