A beautiful island lying in the northern part of the Irish Sea between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the Isle of Man was once a popular holiday destination. It is perhaps better known today for the TT motorcycle races held there, its tailless cats and Manx kippers. However, it also has its darker side. Manx Murders is a collection of gripping and mysterious murder cases committed on the Island over the last 150 years, from the brutal slaying of a spinster one dark night on a lonely track near Ramsey to the infamous 'Golden Egg Murder' in central Douglas. The cases that have caused shock and sensation throughout two centuries of the Island's history are recorded here as the author reveals the events behind the last hanging on the Island, a deathbead confession, the harrowing story of a murderous father and the cases that remain unsolved to this day. The Island's political importance as a wartime holding area for prisoners of war is also explored through the account of a bizarre, seemingly motiveless killing in 1916 and the stabbing of a Finnish prisoner during the Second World War. Using information obtained from newspapers, inquest records and trial transcripts whenever these were available, each murder is described against the backdrop of contemporary events to give the reader a distinct flavour of life at the time of the crime. While each case is unique, all share an overwhelming sadness and tragedy that will never be forgotten.

What did the landscape of Stonehenge look like in its Neolithic heyday? How did Ancient Egyptians produce their food? Such questions can be addressed by environmental archaeology - the study of past people from biological remains and geological phenomena. Environmental Archaeology shows the methods used by archaeologists not only to reconstruct landscape settings of archaeological sites, but also to determine what people ate, the raw materials they used and the technology that allowed them to farm, hunt and build. In this revised version of their 2003 book Keith Wilkinson and Chris Stevens explore the environmental archaeology from first principles. They discuss the concepts that underpin the subject, outline the techniques used by environmental archaeologists and explain how biological and geological data are used to illuminate the archaeological past. The book is written for those who have some archaeological knowledge but no background in the natural sciences, or vice versa. It is a pragmatic guide to the subject, taking the reader step-by-step through approaches, methods, theory, and focussing particularly on interpretation/ The authors' intention is to highlight the importance of environmental archaeology in the reconstruction of the interation between life and landscape in the past.