Book excerpt: This volume comprises papers presented to Dick Stapert on the occasion of his retirement from the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (University of Groningen) in 2011 and celebrates his scientific career. The contributions cover nearly 300,000 years of Human History and were written by colleagues, former students and friends. Topics include the making and use of fire, children in the Stone Age, spatial analysis, and other themes related to the study of the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and beyond.