Grounded : how soil shapes the games we play, the lives we make and the graves we lie in / Alisa Bryce.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Life on land could not exist without soil. Almost everything we need can be traced to the soil: food, fibre, medicines -- even oxygen produced by plants. What would we be without it? Certainly not a planet worthy of the name Earth. There are already plenty of books about agriculture, ecology or how to grow tomatoes. This book is about the other stuff. Like... -how soil evidence can nail a murderer -the ingredients that make a Test cricket pitch -how the soil affects the taste of your favourite wine -the soil microbes that could be the next wonder drug -tips for digging a POW camp escape tunnel (disclaimer: don't try it at home) or mounting an invasion of Normandy (ditto) -how to be ecofriendly when you're dead. In the unputdownable Grounded, soil scientist Alisa Bryce gives you the dirt on all this -- and much, much more.