Written In Bone

Bright white teeth. Straight leg bones. Awkwardly contorted arm bones. On a hot summer day in 2005, Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution peered into an excavated grave, carefully examining the fragile skeleton that had been buried there for four hundred years. "He was about fifteen years old when he died. And he was European," Owsley concluded. But how did he know? Just as forensic scientists use their knowledge of human remains to help solve crimes, they use similar skills to solve the mysteries of the long-ago past. Join author Sally M. Walker as she works alongside the scientists investigating colonial-era graves near Jamestown, Virginia, as well as other sites in Maryland. As you follow their investigations, she'll introduce you to what scientists believe are the lives of a teenage boy, a ship's captain, an indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an enslaved African girl. All are reaching beyond the grave to tell us their stories, which are written in bone.

WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 'Gripping from the start, Written in Bone is superb' - Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes 'No Scientist communicates better than Sue Black' - Val McDermid, author of Still Life 'Macabre, authoritative and fascinating.' - The Sunday Times Our bones are the silent witnesses to the lives we lead. Our stories are marbled into their marrow. Drawing upon her years of research and a wealth of remarkable experience, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black takes us on a journey of revelation. From skull to feet, via the face, spine, chest, arms, hands, pelvis and legs, she shows that each part of us has a tale to tell. What we eat, where we go, everything we do leaves a trace, a message that waits patiently for months, years, sometimes centuries, until a forensic anthropologist is called upon to decipher it. Some of this information is easily understood, some holds its secrets tight and needs scientific cajoling to be released. But by carefully piecing together the evidence, the facts of a life can be rebuilt. Limb by limb, case by case - some criminal, some historical, some unaccountably bizarre - Sue Black reconstructs with intimate sensitivity and compassion the hidden stories in what we leave behind. Praise for Sue Black: 'Sue Black has a rare ability to make blood and bones come alive. A marvellous writer. Ruth Davidson, SMP 'The corpse whisperer ... Is it okay for Black, or us, to enjoy this quite so much?' 'Fascinating' - Spectator 'Gripping' - Guardian 'Moving' - Scotsman 'Engrossing' - Financial Times

* Don't miss 'THE CHEMISTRY OF DEATH' TV SERIES - now streaming on Paramount+ * Adapted from The Chemistry of Death and Written in Bone - starring Harry Treadaway as Dr David Hunter A killer on the loose. A murder disguised as an accident . . . As a favour to a colleague, Dr David Hunter is on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery. He's familiar with death in all its guises but is shocked by what he finds: a body, incinerated but for the feet and a single hand. It appears to be a textbook case of spontaneous human combustion. The local police are certain it's an accidental death but to Hunter the scorched remains suggest otherwise, And as the isolated community considers the enormity of Hunter's findings, a catastrophic storm hits the island. The power goes down, communication with the outside world ceases . . . And the killing begins in earnest.

"Features over 150 archival photographs never before released from the forensic files of the Division of Physical Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC"--P. 2 of cover.

Forensic anthropologist David Hunter investigates a harrowing murder on a windswept Scottish island.

""I took the skull from its evidence bag and gently set it on the stainless steel table. 'Tell me who you are. . . .' "" With this silent plea, forensic expert Dr. David Hunter ignites a harrowing murder investigation on a windswept Scottish island, and a tale of menace, sexuality, and revenge unravels--along with the chilling message that a killer has... Dr. David Hunter should be in London with the woman he loves and a past he can't quite shake off. Instead, as a favor to a beleaguered cop, Hunter travels to a remote island in the Outer Hebrides to inspect a baffling set of remains. A forensic anthropologist, he has seen bodies destroyed by all forms of violence, but even he is surprised at what he finds: human remains burned beyond recognition--all within the confines of an otherwise undamaged, unoccupied cottage. Local police want to rule the death accidental. But Hunter's examination of the victim's charred skull tells him that this woman, no doubt a stranger to the close-knit island of Runa, was murdered by someone nearby. Within days, two more people are dead by fire. Hunter's job is to coax the dead into telling their stories--but now that he's beginning to hear them, he is staggered by the truth. Working with only the barest of clues, he peels back the layers of mysteries past and present, exposing the tangle of secrets at the heart of this strange community--from the deceptions of a wealthy couple to the bitterness of an ex-cop and the secrets of a lonely single mother--as a tale of rage and perversion comes full circle...then explodes in a series of violent acts and shocking twists. "From the Hardcover edition."

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shapeshifters and vampires far more powerful than themselves... After a human uprising was brutally put down by the Elders—a primitive and lethal form of the Others—the few cities left under human control are far-flung. And the people within them now know to fear the no-man’s-land beyond their borders—and the darkness... As some communities struggle to rebuild, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings. With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end—with her standing beside a grave...

Presents well-reviewed nonfiction titles for third through eighth grade readers, and includes book descriptions, book talks guide, and interviews with authors.

The Mother of All Booklists: The 500 Most Recommended Nonfiction Reads for Ages 3 to 103 is written for parents, grandparents, and teachers unfamiliar with the bewildering array of award and recommended reading lists. This book is a long overdue composite of all the major booklists. It brings together over 100 of the most influential book awards and reading lists from leading magazines, newspapers, reference books, schools, libraries, parenting organizations, and professional groups from across the country. The Mother of All Booklists is to reading books what the website Rotten Tomatoes is to watching movies—the ultimate, one-stop, synthesizing resource for finding out what is best. Mother is not the opinion of one book critic, but the aggregate opinion of an army of critics. Organized into five age group lists each with one hundred books—preschoolers (ages 3-5), early readers (ages 5-9), middle readers (ages 9-13), young adults (ages 13-17), and adults (ages 18+)—The Mother of All Booklists amalgamates the knowledge of the best English-language booklists in the United States, including a few from Canada and Great Britain. Each of the 500 books is annotated, describing the contents of the book and suggesting why the book is unique and important. Each includes a picture of the book cover.

Cookbooks. Menus. Ingredients. Dishes. Pots. Kitchens. Markets. Museum exhibitions. These objects, representations, and environments are part of what the volume calls the material cultures of food. The book features leading scholars, professionals, and chefs who apply a material cultural perspective to consider two relatively unexplored questions: 1) What is the material culture of food? and 2) How are frameworks, concepts, and methods of material culture used in scholarly research and professional practice? This book acknowledges that materiality is historically and culturally specific (local), but also global, as food both transcends and collapses geographical and ideological borders. Contributors capture the malleability of food, its material environments and “stuff,” and its representations in media, museums, and marketing, while following food through cycles of production, circulation, and consumption. As many of the featured authors explore, food and its many material and immaterial manifestations not only reflect social issues, but also actively produce, preserve, and disrupt identities, communities, economic systems, and everyday social practices. The volume includes contributions from and interviews with a dynamic group of scholars, museum and information professionals, and chefs who represent diverse disciplines, such as communication studies, anthropology, history, American studies, folklore, and food studies.

“I took the skull from its evidence bag and gently set it on the stainless steel table. ‘Tell me who you are. . . .’ ” With this silent plea, forensic expert Dr. David Hunter ignites a harrowing murder investigation on a windswept Scottish island, and a tale of menace, sexuality, and revenge unravels—along with the chilling message that a killer has… Dr. David Hunter should be in London with the woman he loves and a past he can’t quite shake off. Instead, as a favor to a beleaguered cop, Hunter travels to a remote island in the Outer Hebrides to inspect a baffling set of remains. A forensic anthropologist, he has seen bodies destroyed by all forms of violence, but even he is surprised at what he finds: human remains burned beyond recognition—all within the confines of an otherwise undamaged, unoccupied cottage. Local police want to rule the death accidental. But Hunter’s examination of the victim’s charred skull tells him that this woman, no doubt a stranger to the close-knit island of Runa, was murdered by someone nearby. Within days, two more people are dead by fire. Hunter’s job is to coax the dead into telling their stories—but now that he’s beginning to hear them, he is staggered by the truth. Working with only the barest of clues, he peels back the layers of mysteries past and present, exposing the tangle of secrets at the heart of this strange community—from the deceptions of a wealthy couple to the bitterness of an ex-cop and the secrets of a lonely single mother—as a tale of rage and perversion comes full circle…then explodes in a series of violent acts and shocking twists.

Written with the compassion and humor of a born storyteller, "The Bone Lady" is an unforgettable glimpse into the lab where one scientist works to reveal the human stories behind the remains. "A subtly creepy collection of stories".--"Kirkus Reviews". Photos & line art throughout.

Presenting recent advancements in research findings and the resulting new schools of thought on the physiology of human bone, this comprehensive reference examines information on dietary pattern and specific nutrients in bone health. Written by experts in the areas of nutrition, bone function, and medicine, chapters include research on a variety of bone-related topics including effects of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants; dietary requirements; physical exercise; bone hormones; lifestyle and effects through the life cycle; race and ethnicity; and prevention of bone diseases including osteopenia and osteoporosis.

In 1950s Tennessee, ten-year-old David's racist father refuses to let him associate with his best friend Malcolm, an African American boy.