Born in 1887 and raised amid the farm fields and primitive country schools of rural Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, Harvey Nininger "graduated" from common school--the equivalent of passing the eighth grade--at age 19. He found a way to attend the state Normal School (part high school, part college), and eventually made his way to McPherson College in Kansas, graduating with honors and a teaching position waiting for him in California. After returning to McPherson College to teach biology, he witnessed a fireball that would change his life. Nininger spent the rest of his life tracking down and studying meteorites and, in the process, revolutionized a science.Jim Banks is one of H.H. Nininger's nine grandchildren. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, he studied geology at the University of Arizona and environmental planning at UCLA. He worked in those fields throughout his early career until turning his passion for photography into a full-time profession. His mother, Doris Nininger Banks, edited the original manuscript of Find a Falling Star, and it was only natural for Jim to take on the role as editor of the unabridged version. Jim and his wife, Merry, reside in Sedona, Arizona.