Angela Thompson Smith was born in Bristol, England, and grew up in the nearby village of Shirehampton. Her working class family instilled strong values that have lasted a lifetime. Freedom to roam the surrounding countryside laid the basis for a great love of nature and history. Her book, Shire, gives us a nostalgic glimpse into a simpler time. Shire is an intriguing look at daily life and events during the 1950s, such as Harvest Festival, Guy Fawkes Night, and Christmas customs in the West of England. Other vignettes recall the annual Pantomime, playing in the Roman ruins, the ferry over to Pill, and the bus to Weston Sands. Angela Thompson Smith has lived and worked in the United States since 1981, she has a Ph.D. in psychology, and now lives and writes in Boulder City, Nevada.