John McNabb is the Director of the Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins at the University of Southampton; his research interests are focused on the construction of social relations, as seen through material culture, in pre-modern humans. He is a Fellow of the British Academy's 'From Lucy to Language: The Social Brain' project and is a member of the National Ice Age Network.

• Part 1: The Clactonian 1. Introduction 2. The Clactonian in its Historical Context Pre-1900 to 1950 3. The Clactonian in its Historical Context 1950 to the Present Day – Decline and Fall 4. Location Location: The Clactonian Sites in their Physical Context 5. The Stones of Contention: The Clactonian Assemblages Part 2: The Clactonian in Context 6. Other Frameworks 7. Hominin Occupation in the Cromerian Complex and in the Early Part of the Anglican Glaciation 8. Hominin Occupation Before, During and After MIS 11 – The Swanscombe Interglacial 9. Hominin Occupation Before, During, and After MIS 9 – The Purfleet Interglacial 10. Hominin Occupation Before, During and After MIS 7 – The Aveley Interglacial Part 3: The Bigger Picture 11. The European Scene 12. How Well Behaved was Homo Heidelbergensis? 13. Conclusion

"This book is a very rich volume and is actually two or even three books within a single book—one presenting general background, data and interpretations about the Lower Paleolithic; one discussing the specific issue of the significance of the 'Clactonian;' and, one illustrating the evolution of scholarly ideas about the Clactonian in their historical context over more than 100 years. … Each goal is perfectly achieved thanks to meticulous reporting and discussion of data."– Marie Soressi, PalaeoAnthropology