In his book Mr. Olcott's Skies: An Old Book and a Youthful Obsession, author Thomas Watson explored the origins of his love for the night sky, and how after a nearly thirty year hiatus he returned to the pursuit of amateur astronomy. Tales of a Three-legged Newt is in part the rest of that story, recounting the acquisition of the telescope of boyhood dreams and sharing some of the experiences it brought in the years that followed. It's also a collection of ideas and opinions written for the entertainment of those who share a love for the night sky. This is not a book about how to observe the stars and planets. It's a book about why people do so, from the perspective one amateur star gazer.

Book Five of Five. The Faceless have come, waging total war against the Republic and the Confederation of Clans. As star systems fall and a desperate effort is made to find out who and what the Faceless really are, foes must become allies against the common threat. If their defenses do not hold, nothing will prevent the Faceless from invading the Commonwealth. And with the resources of the Commonwealth under their control, no power in the galaxy, not even the strange and alien T'lack, will be able to stop the Faceless from exterminating Humanity and its allies. Robert MacGregor and his family prepare for the worst, both hoping and fearing that this will be the end of the madness. Hoping and fearing, for all wars eventually end - one way or another.

The entity known as the Faceless nearly destroyed Humanity. Only at the last moment, and at tremendous cost, did we prevail. That victory left a mystery in its wake. What was the source of the enemy’s terrifying and destructive power? The answer may be hidden in a star system called Godsend, from which the Faceless launched its war of extermination. But Godsend was lost to the rest of the galaxy, its links to other systems severed when the Faceless disrupted space and time in its final assault on Humankind and its allies. Now, twenty years later, the way to Godsend has finally opened. Two expeditions will be sent to investigate. One seeks answers to questions, the other to exploit anything the Faceless left behind. But the Faceless left more than secrets in that star system, and both expeditions will be lucky to leave Godsend alive.

The war is over and Humanity has prevailed, but victory came at a terrible price. The weapon used to bring down the enemy killed or injured as many people as it saved. One of the unintended casualties, Alicia MacGregor, has existed in a medically induced coma for two years while her neurological injuries were repaired. At last, to the relief of family and friends, the time has come for her to awaken and rejoin the world. She is healed physically, but the trauma she endured in that final battle left deep scars in her heart and mind. As she copes with the burden of horror and grief left by the war, Alicia discovers that she is haunted by something far worse than bad memories. Something that first threatens her sanity, and then her life.

Book Four of Five. Four years of research, using the combined resources of five species of sentient beings, have brought the Commonwealth and its allies no closer to understanding how Humanity’s sibling species came into existence. Who was responsible for redirecting the natural course of evolution on four living worlds? Why did they do it? And can they find the answer before the Faceless render all such questions moot? For the Faceless are back with a vengeance, and as implacable as ever. The Commonwealth has known nothing but peace for almost four hundred years. Now, war is upon them. How do you prepare for something no one alive has ever seen?

A passion for star-gazing often starts in a modest way, with a small telescope. For some, that modest beginning becomes a theme that resonates through a lifetime. Mr. Olcott’s Skies is the story of one such beginning, and of how a small telescope and an old book set the author on a long and often indirect road to the stars. It’s the tale of a journey that has only just begun, and of the discovery that you really do need to look back the way you’ve come, to understand where you are.

From celebrated herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump, a beautifully illustrated exploration of the interlinked stories of herp folklore, natural history, and conservation. Frogs are worshipped for bringing nourishing rains, but blamed for devastating floods. Turtles are admired for their wisdom and longevity, but ridiculed for their sluggish and cowardly behavior. Snakes are respected for their ability to heal and restore life, but despised as symbols of evil. Lizards are revered as beneficent guardian spirits, but feared as the Devil himself. In this ode to toads and snakes, newts and tuatara, crocodiles and tortoises, herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump explores folklore across the world and throughout time. From creation myths to trickster tales; from associations with fertility and rebirth to fire and rain; and from the use of herps in folk medicines and magic, as food, pets, and gods, to their roles in literature, visual art, music, and dance, Crump reveals both our love and hatred of amphibians and reptiles—and their perceived power. In a world where we keep home terrariums at the same time that we battle invasive cane toads, and where public attitudes often dictate that the cute and cuddly receive conservation priority over the slimy and venomous, she shows how our complex and conflicting perceptions threaten the conservation of these ecologically vital animals. Sumptuously illustrated, Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder’s Fork and Lizard’s Leg is a beautiful and enthralling brew of natural history and folklore, sobering science and humor, that leaves us with one irrefutable lesson: love herps. Warts, scales, and all.