Books with author Richard O. Smith

Believing their stolen camping gear to be hidden inside an old abandoned mine, Scott, Jason and Jill reluctantly enter the dark hole in the mountain. Just yards inside the tunnel, the three young teens discover more than they ever bargained for.The old mine shaft becomes a terrifying link to a magical, mystical city. As the three begin a desperate struggle to get back home, they find that the golden city of Topia holds both incredible treasure and unforeseen terror. A strange world inhabited by Snags, Garps and Dittles, and ruled by three powerful queens - two very good, but one very evil.

Birdsong is woven into culture, emotions, and landscape. It is the soundtrack to our world, shaping experiences of place and belonging. We have tried to capture this fleeting, ephemeral beauty, and the feelings it inspires, for millennia. In this rich and insightful account, Richard Smyth asks what it is about birdsong that we so love, exploring the myriad ways in which it has influenced literature, music, and art, our feelings about the natural world, and our very ideas of what it means to be human. Does the song-thrush mean to sing "a full-hearted evensong/Of joy illimited," as he does in Hardy’s poem "The Darkling Thrush?" Examining his own conflicted love of birdsong, Smyth’s nuanced investigation shows that what we hear says as much about us, our dreams and desires, as it does about the birds and their songs. At a time when birdsong is growing quieter, with fewer voices, more thinly spread, this beautiful book is a celebration of the complex relationships between birds, people, and landscape; it is also a passionate call to arms and an invitation to act lest our trees and hedges fall silent.

‘Teddy Bear’ is his name – his first and second name…his real name. He lives in woods near London’s Regent’s Park until one day, he decides to visit relatives. Cross-country journeys for bears in cities are never straightforward, however, and soon, his travels take an unexpected turn (or two, or three).These tales of innocence and misadventure (of which, this is the first) seek to emulate the feel of classic ‘bear’ tales of old when, no matter how well planned and well intentioned the bear, distraction and the possibilities of exploration are always around the next corner.Written in rhythmic rhyming couplets, these mini-stories are simple in construction and theme. No great meaning to uncover here – just read and enjoy.Stephen Richard Smith. Cert Ed, B.Sc. MA.

Watching pro football every Sunday may inspire kids to play football, but there's no need to start with shoulder pads and tackles. Flag football is a no-impact way to learn all there is to love about the game of football. Whether it's offense, defense, throwing, catching, or scoring touchdowns, readers explore how awesome flag football is and how they can play it in their own backyards. This book explores all aspects of flag football, with a list of words to know for a deeper dive into the sport.

Which is larger, Sirius or Vega? What is the luminosity of Rigel? When will Mira come up to full brightness? Here's one simple-to-use reference which quickly answers these questions and many more. This handy star catalog gives the characteristics of over 2,000 stars to a brightness of 5.25 visual magnitude (plus many dimmer exceptions) updated with Epoch 2000 data. The book brings together information not available in any other single source. Employing a unique, easy-to-use constellation-by-constellation format, StarList 2000 gives you all these properties for each star: location, visual and absolute magnitude, spectra, distance in light years, proper motion, spatial and radial velocity, parallax, size, and luminosity. Notes compare discrepancies in data from well-known sources and point out additional interesting facts and figures about selected stars and deep sky objects, such as nearby nebulae. There are special sections on binaries and variables. Rapid-motion binaries are covered in detail, giving exact locations at January 1, 2000. There is also a collection of drawn orbits and a listing of orbital elements of selected binaries. Data on variable stars include type of variability, maximum and minimum visual magnitude, epoch, and period of variability. The author also offers a unique feature--"Most Favorable Viewing Date"--that tells readers when variables are expected to be at their brightest. StarList 2000 includes an appendix of computer programs for calculating such information as the Julian Date, the date of midnight transit for any star, and the azimuth and altitude of any star viewed from your own backyard. Indexes list stars by right ascension, popular name, and constellation.

The Bill of Rights series examines the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, spelling out the rights that all Americans enjoy, but few truly understand. In a relevant and accessible way, the series explores the Constitution’s amendment process and reveal how amendments—once adopted—become woven into the fabric of daily living in America. Includes historical and current events examples.This volume of the series examines the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, explaining more rights.

This is a memorable collection of historical legends and folktales from Japan. Nearly all of them are set in a well-defined time and place, instead of 'once upon a time.' Themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics. Not a few of these yarns end up with someone committing Seppuku.Smith does not try to dress up the language or narrative for westerners, or sentimentalize the stories. Instead, he tells each story very literally, even when they include supernatural elements. The result is an anthology of Japanese 'magical realist' tales which contemporary readers will find appealing.Each chapter, with one exception, is illustrated by one or more colorful plates done in a typical 19th century Japanese style[.] (Quote from sacred-texts.com)About the AuthorRichard Gordon Smith (1858 - 1918)Richard Gordon Smith (1858-1918) was an English animal hunter who earlier had spent time in France, Canada, and Norway. He had a falling out from his wife of eighteen years and, as divorce at the time was neither desirable nor respectable, he left to travel full-time, first-class. Throughout his travels he kept a series of eight large leather-bound diaries emblazoned with exotic illustrations and filled with mementoes from all over the world. After Ceylon and Burma, he arrived in Nagasaki harbor on Christmas Eve 1897. He left Japan in February 1900, heading back to England via New Guinea and Fiji, but he came down with a fever and abandoned the trip, returning to Japan instead. Gordon Smith did go back to England briefly in 1903, returning to Japan that year via Singapore and China. Later he left from Kobe, again to England via Ceylon, in early 1905. He wa

The Bill of Rights series examines the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, spelling out the rights that all Americans enjoy, but few truly understand. In a relevant and accessible way, the series explores the Constitution’s amendment process and reveal how amendments—once adopted—become woven into the fabric of daily living in America. Includes historical and current events examples.This volume of the series examines the Sixth Amendment, explaining your right to a fair trial.

The Bill of Rights series examines the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, spelling out the rights that all Americans enjoy, but few truly understand. In a relevant and accessible way, the series explores the Constitution’s amendment process and reveal how amendments—once adopted—become woven into the fabric of daily living in America. Includes historical and current events examples.This volume of the series examines the Fourth Amendment, explaining searches and seizures and the right to privacy.