Mark Rees

Swansea was well established by the Middle Ages as a port and trading settlement at the mouth of the River Tawe in Swansea Bay but the development of the copper industry during the Industrial Revolution saw the Welsh city dubbed Copperopolis grow rapidly. As heavy industry declined in the late twentieth century, Swansea redeveloped large areas of the city including its waterfront. In Quirky Swansea author Mark Rees delves into lesser known but fascinating tales from Swansea’s past. In this book, readers will find stories of the inventor known as Dr Death Ray, who claimed to have created such a device; the ‘Welsh Blarney Stone’ that brings good luck when kissed; the hidden street art inspired by the words of Dylan Thomas; the African elephant that guarded a museum; the miner’s daughter who grew up to be a real-life princess; the scenic route of the 'world’s first passenger railway service'; and the original Swansea Jack, a lifesaving dog who now lends his name to fans of Swansea City football club and much, much more. Quirky Swansea celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Swansea and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Swansea will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.

Cardiff’s history goes back beyond the Roman fort that was established there, to the tribes of Ancient Britain. The Normans later built a castle in the fort and the settlement continued to grow around it and the increasingly important port on the Bristol Channel, at the mouth of the River Taff. During the Industrial Revolution, Cardiff’s wealth and population exploded as the port became the main outlet for Welsh coal. Although the coal and iron industries declined in the late twentieth century, the city regenerated its docks and the Cardiff Bay area. In Quirky Cardiff author Mark Rees delves into lesser known but fascinating tales from Cardiff’s past. In this book, readers will find stories of a long-lost church hidden inside a department store; the sculpture of the Victorian ghost hunter that looms large over a botanical attraction; the streets that fired the twisted imagination a young Roald Dahl; the oldest surviving example of a romantic love spoon; the statue of the actor who inspired Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and much, much more. Quirky Cardiff celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Cardiff and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Cardiff will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.

Did you know?The Wales Coast Path is the only continuous footpath in the world that runs the entire length of a country’s coastline, a staggering 870 miles.Wales is home to the largest concentration of medieval castles in the UK, with four iconic castles – Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris – designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.St Davids, home to an awe-inspiring cathedral surrounded by Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastal beauty, is Britain’s smallest city.Laugharne, with its stunning views of the Tâf Estuary, inspired Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, written in his iconic Boathouse and Writing Shed.From the towering peaks of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) to the stunning Wales Coast Path, this captivating guide takes you on a fact-filled journey through Wales’s most iconic landmarks. Discover the country’s rich history at breathtaking World Heritage Sites, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, legendary castles and sacred cathedrals. Step into the world of Welsh folklore as you explore secluded beaches, mystical rivers, and ancient landscapes tied to the myths of King Arthur, the Mabinogion, and other timeless tales.Whether you’re exploring Cymru for the first time or rediscovering its wonders, this handy book offers fascinating insights into its culture, heritage, and the secrets woven into its legends.

Swansea has long been a place of magic and mystery. Ruined castles with ghostly inhabitants dot the landscape, while the golden sands of Gower are steeped in Arthurian mythology and seafaring tales of smugglers and pirates. Yet it has also seen much upheaval and destruction, from the early Viking invaders to the Luftwaffe’s devastating ‘three-nights’ blitz’ during the Second World War. Paranormal Swansea and Gower takes the reader on a spine-chilling journey to dozens of supposedly haunted locations, ranging from well-known tourist destinations to more secluded spots off the beaten track, each with its own eerie tale to tell. These include the spirits of ancient soldiers who wage war on the beaches at dusk, the Gothic ruins guarded by the most terrifying of apparitions, the family home where the wraith of a murderer returned to haunt his former neighbours, the Swansea Devil, a ‘cursed’ work of art which lurks in the museum, and the workaholic miller who refuses to down tools at an historic watermill long after shuffling off this mortal coil. Paranormal Swansea invites sceptics and believers alike to delve into these uncanny accounts of ghosts and spirits from across the city and county, guiding them through the mysterious and unknown. These tales of haunted places, supernatural happenings and weird phenomena will delight the ghost hunters, and fascinate and intrigue everybody who knows Swansea and Gower.

Wales is one of the most haunted countries in the world, and its capital city is no exception. Steeped in history, it has shaped and witnessed many of the country’s defining moments, from fierce clashes with invading armies to its leading role in the Industrial Revolution. The echoes of these events resonate through time, and the ghosts associated with them do not rest easy. Paranormal Cardiff takes the reader on a spine-chilling journey to dozens of supposedly haunted locations, from well-known tourist destinations to more secluded spots off the beaten track. They include a poltergeist named Pete who baffled the experts, a ‘famous’ séance that wowed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a vengeful eagle that protects a fairy-tale castle, a vampire bed that sucked the blood from those who slept in it, and the spooky streets of Llandaff, which fired the imagination of a young Roald Dahl. Paranormal Cardiff invites the reader to take a step into the unknown and explore the haunted places, supernatural happenings and weird phenomena of the city and the surrounding area. From the dark folklore of centuries gone by to modern-day sightings, these tales will delight ghost hunters old and new and fascinate everyone who knows and loves Cardiff.

Did you know? Richard Burton claimed that he would rather have played rugby for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park than Hamlet at the Old Vic. Local rivalries between choirs in the ‘land of song’ used to be so fierce that fights would break out following singing competitions. Roald Dahl was an RAF fighter pilot during the Second World War, and a near-death crash landing inspired his first published work. The Little Book of Welsh Culture is a fast-paced, fact-filled journey through the cultural heritage of Wales, crammed full of myths, traditions and personalities.Experience the country’s immense artistic legacy as never before, from the medieval legends surrounding King Arthur and The Mabinogion to its modern-day transformation into a thriving filming location for big-screen blockbusters. Discover the truth behind the ancient druidic rituals of the National Eisteddfod, separate the facts from the fiction that surround Dylan Thomas’ infamous lifestyle, and learn how Wales successfully regenerated the Doctor Who franchise – and unearth some fascinating secrets and hidden gems along the way.

A red and white dragon fighting tooth and claw in the moonlit sky; mischievous fairy folk luring unwary travellers deep into their underground lairs; a kind-hearted mermaid saving the lives of those in peril on the high seas; and a charmed boy who transforms into an otter and a bird to outrun a wicked witch. In Illustrated Tales of Wales, author Mark Rees explores the fantastical myths, legends and folk stories of Wales which have long fired the imagination of young and old alike. From the medieval tales of the Mabinogion to those rooted firmly in Arthurian mythology, they range from the quirky to the macabre and tell of heroic pets, strange superstitions, devious devils and restless spirits. Wales is home to mighty giants which live on the highest mountains and battle to the death with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It has a patron saint of hares, who created a safe haven for humans and animals alike, and a patron saint of love, whose idyllic island became a place of pilgrimage. It has a water horse which has been known to give those who mount it the ride of their lives, and the unforgettable Mari Lwyd, one of the world’s more unusual Christmastime traditions in which an eerie horse-skulled visitor goes door-to-door in the dead of night. Illustrated Tales of Wales offers an engaging and different look at Wales, with this alternative tour through the country’s peculiar past.

A collection of spine-chilling tales of hauntings, paranormal activity and supernatural phenomena from right across Wales.

Wales' history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter. Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse’s skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town. From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song ‘Sosban Fach’, this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.

Did you know? The Wales Coast Path is the only continuous footpath in the world that runs the entire length of a country’s coastline, a staggering 870 miles. Wales is home to the largest concentration of medieval castles in the UK, with four iconic castles – Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris – designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. St Davids, home to an awe-inspiring cathedral surrounded by Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastal beauty, is Britain’s smallest city. Laugharne, with its stunning views of the Tâf Estuary, inspired Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, written in his iconic Boathouse and Writing Shed. From the towering peaks of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) to the stunning Wales Coast Path, this captivating guide takes you on a fact-filled journey through Wales’s most iconic landmarks. Discover the country’s rich history at breathtaking World Heritage Sites, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, legendary castles and sacred cathedrals. Step into the world of Welsh folklore as you explore secluded beaches, mystical rivers, and ancient landscapes tied to the myths of King Arthur, the Mabinogion, and other timeless tales.Whether you’re exploring Cymru for the first time or rediscovering its wonders, this handy book offers fascinating insights into its culture, heritage, and the secrets woven into its legends.

In the Victorian era, sensational ghost stories were headline news. Spine-chilling reports of two-headed phantoms, murdered knights and spectral locomotives filled the pages of the press. Spirits communicated with the living at dark séances, forced terrified families to flee their homes and caused superstitious workers to down their tools at the haunted mines. This book contains more than fifty hair-raising – and in some cases, comical – real life accounts from Wales, dating from 1837 to 1901. Unearthed from newspaper archives, they include chilling prophecies from beyond the grave, poltergeists terrorising the industrial communities, and more than a few ingenious hoaxes along the way.

This book is a “How To” guide for modeling population dynamics using Integral Projection Models (IPM) starting from observational data. It is written by a leading research team in this area and includes code in the R language (in the text and online) to carry out all computations. The intended audience are ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and mathematical biologists interested in developing data-driven models for animal and plant populations. IPMs may seem hard as they involve integrals. The aim of this book is to demystify IPMs, so they become the model of choice for populations structured by size or other continuously varying traits. The book uses real examples of increasing complexity to show how the life-cycle of the study organism naturally leads to the appropriate statistical analysis, which leads directly to the IPM itself. A wide range of model types and analyses are presented, including model construction, computational methods, and the underlying theory, with the more technical material in Boxes and Appendices. Self-contained R code which replicates all of the figures and calculations within the text is available to readers on GitHub.Stephen P. Ellner is Horace White Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, USA; Dylan Z. Childs is Lecturer and NERC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at The University of Sheffield, UK; Mark Rees is Professor in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at The University of Sheffield, UK.

This book focuses on the measuring tools used by tradesmen and professionals in their everyday work, on the trades in which specific tools were used and how these tools were made and by whom. The intention is that the information contained here will be of use to collectors and researchers by explaining how the measuring devices were used and by placing them in a trade and social context. No book of this size could hope to describe in detail every type of measuring device so it is those measuring items likely to be found and collected today that have been included. Some are included because they are regularly encountered; others because they reflect important historical trends or developments. Still others pose intriguing intellectual challenges. Finally, many are simply attractive objects. It is a truism that to measure accurately the measure itself must be finely made and in this can lie great appeal. Special features include illustrated appendixes, a checklist of rule makers and dealers, a full index, and separate index of names.