Most Popular Books by Ron Miller

Chronicles the discovery and explorations of the planet Venus and discusses its composition, its place in the solar system, and more.

Its Velda vs the Red Menace when our plucky 1950''s sleuth uncovers a sinister Commie plot to take over America! Also in this issue: Velda takes on a double role to outwit kidnappers when she becomes "The Prisoner of Zendaville," and tracks a murderous art thief who can''t resist "The Naked Milkmaid." An adventure of Neolithica: Girl of the Pleistocene and Hawkshaw Hawk: Bird Detective round out the issue.

Chronicles the discovery and explorations of the planet Jupiter and discusses each of its moons, its place in the solar system, and more.

Two of the most mysterious planets in our solar system are the cold, beautiful blue worlds of Uranus and Neptune. They lie so far from the Sun that they appear only as small dots in even the largest telescopes. Unknown to ancient astronomers, one was discovered by accident and the other as the result of an interplanetary detective story, and an intense international competition. Modern spacecraft have revealed them to be among the most fascinating of all the planets, from the frigid blue hurricanes that rage through Neptune’s atmosphere to some of the most unusual moons in the solar system.

Looks at the history of the special effects industry from silent films to the use of current technologies, providing insight into how various special effects are created and used.

Uncover seven wonders of the four rocky planets. From Mercury, we''ll watch the Sun appear to perform wild acrobatics. We''ll also explore Venus, a planet full of puzzles and beauty. On Mars, we''ll visit the tallest mountain and the deepest canyon of all the planets. This planet has hints of water that may be the key to identifying life forms on other planets.

Thousands of years ago, humans believed that Earth was the center of the universe, that the world they lived on was all there was. Truthfully, the solar system extends almost halfway to the nearest star. And it is composed of not only planets, asteroids, and comets, but also powerful forces and vast fields of energy. This is our solar system’s big backyard. The cold, dark world that lies at the farthest reaches of our solar system holds a vast collection of secrets, and for most of human history, we had no idea anything was out there. But, driven by curiosity and equipped with new technology, astronomers have determined that beyond the orbit of Neptune are countless icy comets, strange particles that dance under the influence of the sun, and signs of undiscovered planets. To learn more about these far-flung objects, scientists have finally begun to explore the distant solar system, finding answers to age-old questions at the same time that they encounter new mysteries. With Ron Miller’s incredible illustrations and photographs from NASA probes and telescopes, The Big Backyard takes us on a tour through the solar system’s most obscure neighborhoods and into its darkest corners, to places beyond the limits of the human eye. Miller expertly describes the formation of the solar system and the history of the exploration of the outer solar system before delving into the latest discoveries and missions. Read on to learn what sorts of objects orbit at such extreme distances, what happens at the boundary between the sun’s influence and interstellar space, whether there is such a thing as the mysterious Planet X, and how life on Earth could not exist without the happenings at the edge of the solar system.

Describes how digital art is used in magazines, books, television, movies, games, the history of the art form, and its future.

The first historical account of the free school movement of the 1960s.

For more than 2,000 years, plays, poetry, movies, and television have portrayed Cleopatra as an ambitious woman who used her beauty to seduce powerful men like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony in a ruthless attempt to increase her own power and wealth. But is this the real Cleopatra or one invented by male historians anxious to discredit an intelligent, competent woman who was the last great pharaoh of Egypt? In ""Cleopatra"", the true story reveals her to be a woman who used her great intelligence, imagination, personality, and indomitable drive in a tragic attempt to restore Egypt to the greatness it had known under the great pharaohs of old.

Examines the evolution, surface, and composition of stars, and explores galaxies, using diagrams and NASA photographs.

“Insightful, often humorous, and always fascinating remembrances by some of the greatest names in entertainment history . . . a vibrant portrait of a bygone era.” —Brent Phillips, author of Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance During television''s first fifty years—long before Hulu, Netflix, and the like—families would gather around their sets nightly to watch such shows as I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, M*A*S*H, The Beverly Hillbillies, Fantasy Island, and The Rockford Files. Seasoned journalists James Bawden and Ron Miller have captured provocative and entertaining interviews with beloved stars of shows like these, important figures from TV’s first half century. These thirty-nine interviews, selected from conversations conducted from 1971-1998, present a fascinating glimpse of some of television’s most influential performers. Featured are exclusive interviews with major stars (including Donna Reed, James Garner, and Ricardo Montalban), icons of comedy (including Lucille Ball, George Burns, and Milton Berle), TV hosts (including Dick Clark and Ed Sullivan), and notable musical entertainers (such as Glen Campbell, Mary Martin, and Lawrence Welk). Each chapter explores the subject’s television work—with detailed behind-the-scenes disclosures—and includes additional information about the subject’s performances in film and on stage.

Introduces end of the world scenarios, including self-destruction through nuclear war or continued environmental exploitation, humanity wiped out by a pandemic, or an asteroid or comet strike destroying Earth.

Journalists James Bawden and Ron Miller spent their careers interviewing the greatest stars of Hollywood''s golden age. They visited Lee Marvin at home and politely admired his fishing trophies, chatted with Janet Leigh while a young Jamie Lee Curtis played, and even made Elizabeth Taylor laugh out loud. In You Ain''t Heard Nothin'' Yet, Bawden and Miller return with a new collection of rare interviews with iconic film stars including Henry Fonda, Esther Williams, Buster Keaton, Maureen O''Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, and many more. The book is filled with humorous anecdotes and incredible behind-the-scenes stories. For instance, Bette Davis reflects that she and Katharine Hepburn were both considered for the role of Scarlett O''Hara but neither was "gorgeous enough" for the part; Janet Leigh analyzes the famous shower scene in Psycho (1960), which was shot in seven days and gave the actress nightmares for years; and Jimmy Stewart describes Alfred Hitchcock as a "strange, roly-poly man, interested only in blondes and murder." Popular horror film stars from Lon Chaney Jr. to Boris Karloff and Vincent Price are also featured in a special "movie monsters" section. With first-person accounts of Hollywood life from some of the most distinguished luminaries in the history of American cinema, this entertaining book will delight classic movie fans.

The most futuristic of humankind’s inventions is also one of the oldest. Author Ron Miller tells the story of rockets, from their humble beginnings as toys one thousand years ago to their initiation as fearsome weapons of war. Most recently, rockets have enabled human beings to escape the bonds of Earth, travel into space, and explore other worlds. This is a story of great geniuses, personal sacrifices, and grand adventure.

Bawden and Miller present an astonishing collection of rare interviews with the greatest celebrities of Hollywood''s golden age. Conducted over the course of more than fifty years, they recount intimate conversations with some of the most famous leading men and women of the era. Each interview takes readers behind the scenes with some of cinema''s most iconic stars, as the actors convey unforgettable stories.

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them. People looked at distant stars and wondered what they were made of. They wondered whether any other places in the universe were like Earth. At first people used simple telescopes to study the solar system—the Sun and all the planets that circle around it. Later, more powerful telescopes and high-tech machines allowed people to investigate worlds outside the solar system. In this book, we''ll explore seven wonders beyond the solar system. We''ll look at giant clouds of gas and dust called nebulae. Some nebulae are places where stars are born. Other nebulae are all that remains of stars that have died. Other wonders beyond the solar system include pulsing stars, giant stars, and giant clusters of stars called galaxies. We''ll visit them all. And we''ll explore the age-old question: Does the universe have any other planets like Earth? We''ll learn about scientists who hunt for Earthlike planets and the tools they use. Finally, we''ll look at the big picture—the universe itself. This vast network of stars, planets, and other objects is the biggest wonder of them all.

Traces the development of artificial satellites from the rise of rocketry, discussing the historical importance of Sputnik and describing what modern satellites are used for.

Presents a series of paintings, photographs, drawings, and text that take a guided trip through the solar system, featuring the latest in scientific thought and data.

Presents information about the asteroids, comets, and meteors found in the solar system, describing their physical components, orbits, and the effects of their possible collisions with the Earth and other planets.

Special Features: Sidebars; Glossary; Books, Magazines, Organizations, and Web sources; Index Curriculum Strands: Space science

Chronicles the origin, evolution, and exploration of the Earth and the Moon, and discusses their composition, their place in our solar system, and more.

Describes seven phenomena about the outer planets of the solar system and their moons, including the great red spot of Jupiter and the underground sea of Europa, and explains how these phenomena occurred.

The Gospel of Thomas—a book of sayings and wisdom of Jesus compiled as early or earlier than the New Testament gospels—can transform your spiritual life. There are many academic commentaries on the Gospel of Thomas, but this book has a different aim. It is meant to be a guidebook, that is, a translation of the sayings into daily practice. The goal of such practice is to become Jesus’s twin. This does not, of course, mean becoming an olive-skinned, bearded Mediterranean peasant wearing sandals. It is more about manifesting in our lives the same Christ consciousness revealed in the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth. —from the Introduction In the decades since its discovery, the Gospel of Thomas has intrigued people of all faiths around the world. Shedding new light on the origins of Christianity, the Gospel of Thomas raises questions about whether the New Testament’s version of Jesus’s teachings is entirely accurate and complete. In the Gospel of Thomas we see Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage, sharing aphorisms about the value of the present and each person’s role in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth. But these inspiring sayings can leave you wondering, "What next?" Now you can learn how to start applying Jesus’s wisdom to your own life—and, in turn, to the world around you. This unique guidebook leads you through Thomas, offering practices that help you translate Jesus’s wisdom into a more fulfilling, enriching daily life, including: Becoming a Spiritual Adult Sorting Out the Old and the New Being a Healing Presence Daring to Be a City on a Hill God’s Reign Calls for Ready Hands Spirituality Is Not Skygazing And much more ...

1950''s private detective Velda accepts an invitation to a dude ranch...an invitation to treachery, extortion, kidnaping and molybdenum! Also in this issue: "Murder on a Shoestring" pits Velda against a crazed strangler while she has to "Play Chicken" for a larcenous hypnotist. An adventure of Neolithica: Girl of the Pleistocene and Hawkshaw Hawk: Bird Detective round out the issue.

Saturn is the crown jewel of the solar system. Admired for centuries for its beauty--a pale gold ball surrounded by gleaming white rings--modern astronomers have discovered that Saturn is one of the most amazing of all the planets. From the mysteries of its glorious rings to its dozens of unique moons, one of which is large enough to be a world in its own right, the story of Saturn is also the story of astronomy and the discovery of the solar system.

In the sixth century B.C.E., the Greek philosopher Anaximander theorized that Earth was at the center of the cosmos. That idea became ingrained in scientific thinking and Christian religious beliefs for more than one thousand years. Defiance of church doctrine could mean death, so no one dared dispute this long-accepted idea. No one except a handful of courageous scientists. In the 1500s and 1600s, men like Nicolaus Copernicus, Johanned Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton began to ask questions. What if Earth actually orbited the sun, instead of the other way around? What if the universe was much bigger than anyone imagined? These scientists risked their reputations—even their lives—to challenge the very heart of Catholic dogma and scientific tradition. Yet, in less than 200 years, their radical thinking overturned theories that had lasted more than a millennium. Join these bold thinkers on the journey of discovery that forever changed our understanding of the cosmos.

Chronicles the discoveries of all the planets within our solar system, as well as planets beyond our system.

Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter is having quite the grumpy day in this classic, funny, and heartwarming book. Whether he’s cranky on the slide or stubborn in the sandbox, both parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story. A perfect way to teach children about their emotions!