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The processes involved in the transformation of society from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic farmers were complex. They involved changes not only in subsistence but also in how people thought about themselves and their worlds, from their pasts to their animals. Two sets of protagonists have often been lined up in the long-running debates about these processes: on the one hand incoming farmers and on the other indigenous hunter-gatherers. Both have found advocates as the dominant force in the transitions to a new way of life. North-west Europe presents a very rich data set for this fundamental change, and research has both extended and deepened our knowledge of regional sequences, from the sixth to the fourth millennia bc. One of the most striking results is the evident diversity from northern Spain to southern Scandinavia. No one region is quite like another; hunter-gatherers and early farmers alike were also varied and the old labels of Mesolithic and Neolithic are increasingly inadequate to capture the diversity of human agency and belief. Surveys of the most recent evidence presented here also strongly suggest a diversity of transformations. Some cases of colonization on the one hand and indigenous adoption on the other can still be argued, but many situations now seem to involve complex fusions and mixtures. This wide-ranging set of papers offers an overview of this fundamental transition.

This guide to the marine fauna of the continental shelf seas of north-west Europe provides dichotomous identification keys for macrobenthic invertebrates and coastal fish. An introduction to the marine environment of the region is followed by a guide to the animal groups covered, and each major taxonomic group is treated, in twelve separate chapters, each commencing with a brief description of the morphological and biological characteristics of the group. Technical terms are defined, with especial reference to their significance in classification and importance for identification. Keys to higher taxonomic categories, where useful, and to families lead to keys for the identification of selected species. Confirmatory diagnoses are given for most families. Short descriptions and notes on occurrence and distribution are provided for each species, and the majority are illustrated by line drawings. Coverage varies from group to group, being fairly comprehensive for conspicuous, well-known animals, such as anthozoans, molluscs, echinoderms, and fish, while the selection of species is smaller for some taxonomically difficult or poorly documented groups, such as sponges and sea squirts. However, where possible, the actual or potential diversity of each group within the region is indicated at family level. This edition incorporates systematic and phylogenetic revisions current at submission. Keys have been reviewed and improved; nomenclature has been updated, and descriptions and distributions have been improved or revised where appropriate. Species additional to those in the first edition include several seen to be more common than previously apparent, and a number of newly arrived exotics.