Charles H. Smith
Professor Emeritus, Western Kentucky University

 
Education  ••  Services Offered as Science Librarian  ••  Research and Personal Interests  ••  Professional Affiliations
Selected Academic Publications  ••  Selected Honors and Grants  ••  Most Unusual Achievement  ••  Web Materials by Charles Smith

• B.A. (1972), Geology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
• M.A. (1980), Geography, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
• Ph.D. (1984), Geography (Emphasis: Biogeography; Minor: History & Philosophy of Science), University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL
• M.L.S. (1995), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Services Offered as Science Librarian  

As of 1 July 2018, retired from Western Kentucky University.

Research and Personal Interests  

My own research has primarily involved bibliography and bibliometrics, collection development, history and philosophy of science (especially the nineteenth century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace), biogeography and biodiversity, evolutionary theory, music history, and general systems theory. I also have long-standing interests in baseball and the paranormal. My favorite foods include the basics: good coffee, orange juice, and bread. The greatest influences on my life have come from my parents and, in no particular order, Lou Gehrig, Bert Jansch, Carl Nielsen, Benedict de Spinoza, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Alfred Russel Wallace. I have also recently become an Annie Oakley fan--read up on her; you'll be impressed!

Professional Affiliations 

I am or recently was a member of the International Biogeography Society, The Linnean Society of London, The Society for the History of Natural History, The Scientific and Medical Network, the Kentucky Library Association, and the American Society for Engineering Education.  For about ten years I sat on the Editorial Board of the journal Science & Technology Libraries.  WKU Ranks: Assistant Professor 1995, Associate Professor 1999, Professor 2004, Professor Emeritus 2018.

Free Online Fiction 

• Many Miles Away (a novel published November 2020).

Selected Academic Publications 

--Alfred Russel Wallace Notes: Alfred Russel Wallace Notes is a peer-reviewed and irregularly published note series edited by Charles H. Smith. Its subjects are elements of the life and thought of British naturalist and social critic Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), co-discoverer of the principle of natural selection.

• "Wallace, Evolution and Providence." (April 2025). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 36. 8 pp.
• "Natural Selection by Evolution." (March 2025). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 35. 11 pp.
• "Did Alfred Russel Wallace's Chief Assistant from His Expedition to the Malay Archipelago Really Name Himself Ali Wallace?" (March 2025; George Beccaloni, edited by Charles H. Smith). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 34. 6 pp.
• "The Story in Evolution." (December 2024). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 33. 16 pp.
• "Wallace on the Tigers of Singapore." (November 2024). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 32. 10 pp.
• "Wallace's Personal Copy of 'Life of Alexander von Humboldt.'" (August 2024). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 31. 14 pp.
• "Wallace a Theist? Part 1." (April 2024). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 30. 17 pp.
• "Extraterrestrial Entertainment: Are We Being Monitored by Alien Beings?" (January 2024). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 29. 9 pp.
• "Wallace's 'Change of Mind', Revisited" (November 2023). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 28. 27 pp.
• "When Wallace Broke with Darwin" (October 2023). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 27. 9 pp.
• "Confessions of a 'Wallace Enthusiast'" (May 2023). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 26. 12 pp.
• "Wallace and the 'Physical Environment'" (April 2023). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 25. 7 pp.
• "Wallace at 200: Potential Subjects for Student Theses" (December 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 24. 7 pp.
• "The Jersey Devil, and Friends" (December 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 23. 8 pp.
• "Stumbling Blocks to an Understanding of Wallace's Worldview" (August 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 22. 9 pp.
• "Wallace and the Doorway to the Universe" (May 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 21. 23 pp.
• "Did Darwin and Wallace 'Coauthor' the 1858 Communication on Natural Selection?" (April 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 20. 5 pp.
• "Social Evolution's Useful Idiots" (February 2022). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 19. 18 pp.
• "Wallace on the Balance of Nature" (August 2021). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 18. 13 pp.
• "More on the South Asian Connection" (April 2021). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 17. 4 pp.
• "The Flexible Wallace" (April 2021). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 16. 11 pp.
• "Wallace's Many 'Hats': What Should We Call Him?" (January 2021). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 15. 7 pp.
• "Background for Wallace's 1845 Kington Essay" (November 2020). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 14. 8 pp.
• "Wallace on Prayer" (November 2020). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 13. 7 pp.
• "How Good was Wallace's Memory?" (November 2020). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 12. 10 pp.
• "Wallace, Darwin, Education, and the Class Question" (2020; James D. Williams, edited by Charles H. Smith). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 11. 7 pp.
• "The Impact of A. R. Wallace's Sarawak Law Paper Resurrected" (15 April 2020; Derek Partridge, edited by Charles H. Smith). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 10. 16 pp.
• "The South Asian Connection" (6 March 2019; Charles H. Smith, Sahotra Sarkar & Nirmali Wijegoonawardana). Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 9. 8 pp.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 8: Wallace's Earliest Exposures to the Writings of Alexander von Humboldt" (October 2018). Archives of Natural History 45(2): 366-369. [June 2021: unreduced version]
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 7: Wallace, Bates, and John Plant: The Leicester Connection" (Charles H. Smith & Jennifer Walklate; October 2017). The Linnean 33(2): 18-24.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 6: More on the Mailing Date of the Ternate Essay to Darwin" (April 2015). The Linnean 31(1): 26-27.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 5: Just How Well Known Was Wallace in His Own Time?" (April 2014). The Linnean 30(1): 27-30.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 4: Contributions to The Garden, 1875-1912" (October 2011). Archives of Natural History 38(2): 351-353.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 3: Two Early Publications" (October 2011). Archives of Natural History 38(2): 349-351.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 2: The Spelling 'Russel', and Wallace's Date of Birth" (Charles H. Smith et al., October 2010). Archives of Natural History 37(2): 351-354.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 1: Authorship of Two Early Works" (Charles H. Smith et al., April 2010). Archives of Natural History 37(1): 167-169.

--Other Alfred Russel Wallace-Related Writings

• "Twelve Wallace Myths" (a lecture presented online via Zoom for the Scientific and Medical Network, on 25 November 2023).
• "Biography as a Two-Edged Sword." (book review of Armstrong's Alfred Russel Wallace; published online 19 June 2020; in print November 2020). Metascience 29(3): 417-419.
• "Discussion on 'A. R. Wallace in the Light of Historical Method' by John van Wyhe" (Charles H. Smith, George Beccaloni, James D. Williams & Derek Partridge; 2020). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 103: 119-124.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace's 'Die Permanenz der Continente und Oceane'" (Charles H. Smith, James T. Costa & Matthias Glaubrecht, Fall 2019). Archives of Natural History 46(2): 265-282.
• An Alfred Russel Wallace Companion (edited by Charles H. Smith, James T. Costa & David Collard; June 2019). Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press. 439 pp.
• "The Early Evolution of Wallace as a Thinker" (June 2019). In Smith, Costa & Collard, eds., An Alfred Russel Wallace Companion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press): 11-40.
• "Wallace and the 'Preter-Normal'" (June 2019). In Smith, Costa & Collard, eds., An Alfred Russel Wallace Companion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press): 41-66.
• "Physical Geography, Glaciology and Geology" (June 2019). In Smith, Costa & Collard, eds., An Alfred Russel Wallace Companion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press): 275-297.
• "Did Wallace's Ternate Essay and Letter on Natural Selection Come as a Reply to Darwin's Letter of 22 December 1857? A Brief Review." (published online November 2015; in print June 2016). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 118(2): 421-425.
• "Wallace and Incipient Structures: A World of 'More Recondite' Influences" (2016). In Indraneil Das & Andrew Alek Tuen, eds., Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in South-East Asia and Australasia (Cham, Switzerland: Springer): 3-14.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace and the Road to Natural Selection, 1844 to 1858" (published online November 2014; in print May 2015). Journal of the History of Biology 48(2): 279-300.
• "Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species" (book review (March-April 2015) of Costa's Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species). Reports of the National Center for Science Education 35(2): 10.1-10.3.
• Dear Sir: Sixty-Nine Years of Alfred Russel Wallace Letters to the Editor (edited by Charles H. Smith & Kelsey Patterson; 30 November 2014). Manchester, U.K.: Siri Scientific Press. 400 pp.
• "Wallace, Alfred Russel" (3 September 2014). In Thomas Hockey, ed., The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers 2nd Ed. (New York: Springer), Vol. 4: 2282-2285.
• "Wallace, Darwin, and Ternate 1858" (20 June 2014). Notes & Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science 68(2): 165-170.
• "Wallace in the Malay Archipelago" (book review of Van Wyhe's Dispelling the Darkness; December 2013). BioScience 63(12): 982-984.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace's World of Final Causes" (December 2013). Theory in Biosciences 132(4): 239-249.
• Enquête sur un Aventurier de l'Esprit: Le Véritable Alfred Russel Wallace (7 November 2013). Paris: Editions de l'Evolution. 399 pp. [in English:] The Real Alfred Russel Wallace: Essays on an Outside-the-Box Thinker
• "Wallace and Incipient Structures: A World of 'More Recondite' Influences" (paper presented electronically at a Kuching, Sarawak conference in November 2013).
• "Wallace, Alfred R." (November 2013). In R. Jon McGee & Richard L. Warms, eds., Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An Encyclopedia (Los Angeles: SAGE Publications), Vol. 2: 903-905.
• "Early Humboldtian Influences on Alfred Russel Wallace's Scheme of Nature" (conference paper given at the Royal Society of London on 21 October 2013).
• "Wallace on Natural Selection: What Did He Really Have in Mind?" (conference paper given in Bournemouth, U.K., on 7 June 2013).
• "Wallace and the World of Final Causes" (conference paper given in Mexico City, in March 2013).
• "A Further Look at the 1858 Wallace–Darwin Mail Delivery Question" (March 2013). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 108(3): 715-718.
• Alfred Russel Wallace's 1886-1887 Travel Diary; The North American Lecture Tour (edited by Charles H. Smith & Megan Derr; 1 January 2013). Manchester, U.K.: Siri Scientific Press. 258 pp.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace e a Noção de Causas Finais na Evolução" (October 2012). In A. C. Regner & A. Naves, organizers, Ecos de Darwin (Editora da UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, Brasil): 155-181. [in English:] "Alfred Russel Wallace and the Notion of Final Causes in Evolution"
• "Alfred Russel Wallace and the Elimination of the Unfit" (June 2012). Journal of Biosciences (Indian Academy of Sciences) 37(2): 203-205.
• "'What Lives Where, and Why': Alfred Russel Wallace, and the Field of Biogeography" (December 2011). Science & Technology Libraries 30(4): 307-325.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace, Geographer" (4 May 2010). Geography Compass 4(5): 388-401.
• Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace (paperback edition; edited by Charles H. Smith & George Beccaloni, 2010). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
• "What's in a Word? On Reading--and Misreading--Alfred Russel Wallace" (January 2009). In Survival of the Fittest; Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Darwin-Wallace Theory of Evolution (The Linnean Special Issue No. 9): 35-44.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace, Journalist" (October 2008). Archives of Natural History 35(2): 203-207.
• "Introduction" (June 2008). To Anne Cluysenaar, Batu-Angas; Envisioning Nature With Alfred Russel Wallace [a collection of her poems] (Bridgen, Wales: Seren): 10-14.
• "'Hussel,' 'Bussel' and 'Kussel,' Or, Using Google Books to Stalk the Elusive Alfred Russel Wallace" (Spring 2008). Kentucky Libraries 72(2): 8-11.
• "Wallace, Alfred Russel" (2008). In Noretta Koertge, ed., New Dictionary of Scientific Biography (Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons), Vol. 7: 224-228.
• Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace (edited by Charles H. Smith & George Beccaloni, 2008). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
• "Wallace, Spiritualism, and Beyond: 'Change,' or 'No Change'?" (2008). In Charles H. Smith & George Beccaloni, eds., Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press): 391-423.
• book review (Winter 2007) of Fichman's An Elusive Victorian. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 43(1): 97-98.
• "Wallace, Alfred Russel" (2007). In Thomas Hockey, ed., The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers (New York: Springer), Vol. 2: 1191-1193.
• "Reflections on Wallace" (7 September 2006). Nature 443(7107): 33-34.
• book review (April 2006) of Fichman's An Elusive Victorian. Archives of Natural History 33(1): 179-180.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace: Past and Future" (September 2005). Journal of Biogeography 32(9): 1509-1515.
• "Of Heretics and Heroes" (book review (March 2005) of Slotten's The Heretic in Darwin's Court). EMBO Reports 6(3): 212.
• book review (January-April 2005) of Fichman's An Elusive Victorian. Reports of the National Center for Science Education 25(1-2): 44-45.
• "Final Causes and Biogeographical Explanations" (2005).
• "Wallace's Unfinished Business" (November 2004). Complexity 10(2): 25-32.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace: A Capsule Biography" (30 June 2004). Southern Lepidopterists' News 26(2): 46-57.
• "Further Additions to the Bibliography of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)" (April 2004). Archives of Natural History 31(1): 1-5.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace on Man: A Famous 'Change of Mind'--Or Not?" (2004). History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 26(2): 257-270.
• "Wallace, Alfred Russel (1823-1913)" (2004). In H. C. G. Matthew & Brian Harrison, eds., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press), Vol. 56: 920-927.
• Alfred Russel Wallace: Writings on Evolution 1843-1912 (edited by Charles H. Smith, 2004). Bristol, U.K.: Thoemmes Press. 3 vols.
• "Comment: Alfred Russel Wallace, Societal Planning and Environmental Agenda" (September 2003). Environmental Conservation 30(3): 215-218.
• "The Nationality of a Naturalist" (1 March 2002). Science 295(5560): 1644-1645.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)" (2002). In W. J. Mander & Alan P. F. Sell, eds., Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Philosophers (Bristol, U.K.: Thoemmes Press), Vol. 2: 1156-1160.
• "Additions to the Bibliography of Alfred Russel Wallace" (June 1999). Archives of Natural History 26(2): 273-277.
• Alfred Russel Wallace on Spiritualism, Man & Evolution: An Analytical Essay (1992/1999). Torrington, CT. 72 pages.
• Alfred Russel Wallace; An Anthology of His Shorter Writings (edited by Charles H. Smith, 1991). Oxford, New York & Tokyo: Oxford University Press. 551 pages.
• Introduction to Alfred Russel Wallace; An Anthology of His Shorter Writings (edited by Charles H. Smith, 1991; Oxford, New York & Tokyo: Oxford University Press): 1-8.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace 1823-1913" (1984). In Geographers Biobibliographical Studies (London: Mansell), Volume 8: 125-133.

--Natural Systems Philosophy & Theory

• "The Systems Measurement of Mammalian Biotas, Part Two" (Charles H. Smith, Patrick Georges & Ngoc Nguyen; 10 November 2023). Life (MDPI) 13(11), 2193.
• "Evolution and Biogeography, and the Systems Measurement of Mammalian Biotas" (Charles H. Smith, Patrick Georges & Ngoc Nguyen; 24 March 2023). Life (MDPI) 13(4), 873.
• "'In Space' or 'As Space': Three Dimensions or Not?" (September 2017).
• "'In' or 'As' Space?: A Model of Complexity, with Philosophical, Simulatory, and Empirical Ramifications" (30 September 2015). International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics 10(3): 233-241 / In G. Rzevski & C. A. Brebbia, Conference Chairmen, Complex Systems 2015: International Conference on Complex Systems in Business, Administration, Science and Engineering (WIT Press, Ashurst, U.K.): 55-66.
• "'In Space or 'As Space': Spatial Autocorrelation Properties of the Earth's Interior" (April 2014). International Journal of Geosciences 5(4): 375-382.
• "'In Space' or 'As Space'?: A New Model" (Charles H. Smith & Megan Derr, August 2012). Life (MDPI) 2(3): 243-254.
• "Natural Selection: A Concept in Need of Some Evolution?" (January/February 2012). Complexity 17(3): 8-17.
• "A General Approach to the Study of Spatial Systems. II. Two Examples of Application" (1986). International Journal of General Systems 12(4): 385-400.
• "A General Approach to the Study of Spatial Systems. I. The Relational Representation of Measurable Attributes" (1986). International Journal of General Systems 12(4): 359-384.
• "A Contribution to the Geographical Interpretation of Biological Change" (1986). Acta Biotheoretica 35(4): 229-278.
• The Dynamics of Animal Distribution: An Evolutionary/Ecological Model (1984). Ph.D. Dissertation, Dept. of Geography, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. 242 pp.

--Biogeography/Biodiversity/Ecology/Evolution

• "The Systems Measurement of Mammalian Biotas, Part Two" (Charles H. Smith, Patrick Georges & Ngoc Nguyen; 10 November 2023). Life (MDPI) 13(11), 2193.
• "Evolution and Biogeography, and the Systems Measurement of Mammalian Biotas" (Charles H. Smith, Patrick Georges & Ngoc Nguyen; 24 March 2023). Life (MDPI) 13(4), 873.
• "Natural Selection: A Concept in Need of Some Evolution?" (January/February 2012). Complexity 17(3): 8-17.
• "Biodiversity: The World of Life" (May 2001). Choice 38(9): 1565-1580.
• Biodiversity Studies: A Bibliographic Review (2000). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 461 pages.
• "Biodiversity: A Selector's Guide to Monographic Works" (1999). Science & Technology Libraries 18(1): 25-57.
• "Historical Biogeography: Geography as Evolution, Evolution as Geography" (1989). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 16(4): 773-785.
• "A Contribution to the Geographical Interpretation of Biological Change" (1986). Acta Biotheoretica 35(4): 229-278.
• The Dynamics of Animal Distribution: An Evolutionary/Ecological Model (1984). Ph.D. Dissertation, Dept. of Geography, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. 242 pp.
• "A System of World Mammal Faunal Regions. II. The Distance Decay Effect upon Inter-regional Affinities" (November 1983). Journal of Biogeography 10(5): 467-482.
• "A System of World Mammal Faunal Regions. I. Logical and Statistical Derivation of the Regions" (September 1983). Journal of Biogeography 10(6): 455-466.
• "Areographic Representation of Faunal Characteristics Through a 'Second-Order' Relational Approach" (August 1983). Evolutionary Theory 6(5): 225-232.
• "Spatial Trends in Canadian Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus, Population Cycles" (1983). Canadian Field-Naturalist 97(2): 151-160.
• "A Spatial Analysis of Wildlife's Ten-Year Cycle" (Charles H. Smith & Jerry M. Davis, January 1981). Journal of Biogeography 8(1): 27-35.

--Library Science/Bibliography

• "Statistical Tests for 'Related Records' Search Results" (Charles H. Smith, Patrick Georges & Ngoc Nguyen; published online 2 June 2015; in print December 2015). Scientometrics 105(3): 1665-1677.
• "'Hussel,' 'Bussel' and 'Kussel,' Or, Using Google Books to Stalk the Elusive Alfred Russel Wallace" (Spring 2008). Kentucky Libraries 72(2): 8-11.
• "Editorial Rant: Unjust Tiered Pricing Formulas" (2007). Science & Technology Libraries 27(4): 89-91.
• "Meta-Assessment of Online Research Guides Usage" (2007). The Reference Librarian 47(1): 89-103.
• "Further Additions to the Bibliography of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)" (April 2004). Archives of Natural History 31(1): 1-5.
• "Biodiversity: The World of Life" (May 2001). Choice 38(9): 1565-1580.
• Biodiversity Studies: A Bibliographic Review (2000). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 461 pages.
• "Additions to the Bibliography of Alfred Russel Wallace" (June 1999). Archives of Natural History 26(2): 273-277.
• "Biodiversity: A Selector's Guide to Monographic Works" (1999). Science & Technology Libraries 18(1): 25-57.
• "'With Eyes on the Prize': Identifying Award-Winning Books in Science and Technology" (1998). College & Undergraduate Libraries 5(2): 115-129.
• "The Paranormal: A Selected Bibliography of Serials and Reference Works, With Commentary" (1997). Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 16(1): 11-46.
• "'With Eyes on the Prize III': Identifying Award-Winning Books in Science and Technology" (Charles H. Smith & Marvin D. Leavy, 1997). College & Undergraduate Libraries 4(1): 29-40.
• "A Method for Studying Intercorrelated Circulation Patterns in Library Systems" (March 1984). Journal of the American Society for Information Science 35(2): 118-121.
• "Alfred Russel Wallace 1823-1913" (1984). In Geographers Biobibliographical Studies (London: Mansell), Volume 8: 125-133.

--Other Subjects

• "Two New Baseball Performance Statistics" (August 2024).
• "James Hyde (d. 1875) and Wife Mary Wright (d. 1865), of Long Island and New York City" (January 2024).
• "The Identity of Lucina, Wife of John A. Tarrant (d. 1864), of New York, New York" (September 2023).
• "The Lineage of Abby Benson (1801/02-1866), of Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut" (2021/2023).
• book review (October 2021) of Harvey's Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art Nature and Culture. Archives of Natural History 48(2): 416.
• Charles H. Smith: A Direct-Line Ancestry, Since Colonial Times (2020).
• "Spinoza on Miracles" (edited by Charles H. Smith, 2019).
• "MUFON Report 70084" (Charles H. Smith, September 2015).
• "Similarity Indices for 500 Classical Music Composers: Inferences from Personal Musical Influences and 'Ecological' Measures" (Charles H. Smith & Patrick Georges; 2015). Empirical Studies of the Arts 33(1): 61-94.
• "Composer Similarities through 'The Classical Music Navigator': Similarity Inference from Composer Influences" (Charles H. Smith & Patrick Georges; 2014). Empirical Studies of the Arts 32(2): 205-229.
• "Using a Lens Stereoscope for the First Time" (November 2000). Journal of Geoscience Education 48(5): 595-596.
• "Identifying the Contemporary Political Culture of the American Frontier: The Libertarian Party's Vote in 1980" (Fred M. Shelley, Charles H. Smith & George N. Smith, Fall 1987). Geographical Perspectives No. 60: 36-42.
• "Guidelines and an Illustration of the Use of Ecological Data for Seeking Clues of Excess Risk" (Michael Greenberg, Mark Burrington & Charles H. Smith, 1984). Socio-Economic Planning Sciences 18(4): 293-299.
• "On the System of Knowledge: A Classification of Studies Within the Field of Geography" (1983)
• "A Procedure for the Initial Use of a Lens Stereoscope" (January 1981). Journal of Geography 80(1): 30.
• "Mapa Geológico de Honduras, Minas de Oro, Hoja 2760 III G." (Genevieve Atwood, James L. Cullen, Charles H. Smith & Bruce M. Simonson, 1976) Tegucigalpa: Instituto Geográfico Nacional, scale 1:50,000.
• "Map of Mines and Quarries of Connecticut" (June 1972; unpublished map and notes compiled for the Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey; later the basis for Robert J. Altamura's Bedrock Mines and Quarries of Connecticut, Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, 1987).

Selected Highlights, Honors and Grants while at Bowling Green  

• on 15 May 2023 awarded the Silver Medal of the Alfred Russel Wallace Memorial Fund for "outstanding contributions to the public understanding of Alfred Russel Wallace's life and work"
• invited speaker at the symposium 'The Super Story Series: Superhuman Evolution' organized by the Esalen Institute Center for Theory and Research, Big Sur, California, on 17-22 July 2022
• as of 1 July 2018, retired from Western Kentucky University
• delivered an invited presentation, all expenses covered, at the annual Newberry Library-hosted C. Frederick Kittle Symposium on Arthur Conan Doyle (7 October 2017)
• share with the editors and other contributors to the Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers the biennial 2017 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy
• recipient of WKU QTag grants, 2015/16 and 2016/17
• included in the 2016 (70th) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• included in the 2016-2017 (12th) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in Science and Engineering
• recipient of the 2015 University Libraries WKU Award for Outstanding Research/Creativity (March 2015)
• included in the 2015 (69th) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• invited to give a paper, all expenses covered, at a meeting in Sarawak in November 2013 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace (did not attend, but prepared a taped lecture shown at the meeting; this appears in the conference proceedings)
• delivered an invited paper, all expenses covered, at an American Museum of Natural History conference in November 2013 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace
• recipient of $29960. Templeton Foundation grant to improve access to Alfred Russel Wallace resources (September 2013 to May 2016)
• accepted an invitation to prepare a featured essay commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace for a special issue of the journal Theory in Biosciences, published in the November 2013 issue
• delivered an invited paper, all expenses covered, at a Royal Society of London Discussion Meeting in October 2013 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace
• recipient of a 2013 President's Call to Service Award, national recognition for more than six thousand hours of lifetime volunteer service (April 2013)
• delivered an invited ninety-minute paper, all expenses covered, at a conference at UNAM in Mexico City commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace (8 March 2013)
• invited to prepare a featured essay commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace for a special issue of the journal Frontiers in Biogeography (invitation October 2012)
• included in the 2011-2012 11th edition of Marquis' Who's Who in Science and Engineering
• $6350. WKU RCAP grant-funded research trip to London to research Alfred Russel Wallace sources (August-September 2011)
• included in the 2011 (65th) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• finalist for a Distinguished Professorship at WKU (informed December 2010)
• delivered an invited ninety-minute paper, all expenses covered, at the annual meeting of the Brazilian Society for the History and Philosophy of Biology at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (10 August 2010)
• delivered an invited two-hour colloquium lecture, all expenses covered, on Wallace's model of natural selection at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (8 August 2010)
• recipient of the 2010 University Libraries/Information Technologies WKU Award for Outstanding Research/Creativity (March 2010)
• my book Natural Selection and Beyond... released as a paperback edition, March 2010
• featured (a second time) in the Spring 2010 issue of WKU's The Western Scholar
• delivered an invited two-hour talk, all expenses covered, at a four-day Darwinism conference at UNISINOS, near Porto Alegre in Brazil (10 September 2009)
• my website The Alfred Russel Wallace Page included as a 'Best of Free Reference 2008' selection by Library Journal (15 April 2009)
• am subject of the monthly featured cover story in the local news and arts publication The Amplifier (March 2009)
• included in the 2009 (63rd) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• in February 2009 invited to go on television to take part in a segment on Darwin and Wallace on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," but the producers ultimately decide not to go through with the spot
• recipient of the 2008 Margie Helm Faculty Award for Outstanding Performance, University Libraries (December 2008)
• delivered an invited talk, all expenses covered, at the Linnean Society in London at a conference celebrating the double occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first presentation of the theory of natural selection in 1858, and the publication of my Oxford University Press book Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace the same month (22 November 2008)
• elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (9 October 2008)
• interviewed by the journal The Scientist and the Communications Office at Princeton University for usable quotations regarding the work of Princeton scientists Raj Chakrabarti and Herschel Rabitz on protein evolution (September 2008)
• asked to contribute a 1200-word "sidebar" essay for one of the chapters of the upcoming eighth edition of a popular biogeography textbook (September 2008)
• included in the 2008 (62nd) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• on 30 June 2008 invited to do an eight-minute interview segment on NPR's "Morning Edition" (concerning the 150th anniversary of the first presentation of the theory of natural selection in 1858), but the spot ultimately goes to someone else (I miss out by five minutes when I see the invitation message a bit too late to respond in time!)
• The Wikipedia people create a "Charles H. Smith" page on their service (May 2007)
• included in the 2007 (61st) edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America
• my website The 111 Greatest Acts of the Anglo-American Folk Music Tradition included as a 'Best Websites of 2006' selection by Library Journal, May 2007
• submit successful Priority Initiative Award application for the Dept. of Library Public Services (Fall 2006)
• placed a first-author article in Nature (7 September 2006)
• invited keynote speaker at the second biennial meeting of the International Biogeography Society (held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, January 4-8, 2005)
• advanced to Professor (30 April 2004)
• recipient of a ScientificAmerican.com Sci/Tech Web Award 2003 (for one of the five best history or biography of sci/tech-related websites of the year) for my website The Alfred Russel Wallace Page
• recipient of the Golden Web Award for my websites The Alfred Russel Wallace Page and The Classical Music Navigator in 2001, and my websites Early Classics in Biogeography, Distribution and Diversity Studies: To 1950 and Nineteenth Century Exploration of Australia in 2002
• featured in the second issue of WKU's The Western Scholar, Spring 2001
• honored by University Libraries for work in science bibliography with reception, Spring 2001
• recipient of the 2001 Oberly Award (for best bibliography published in the agricultural or natural sciences, 1999-2001) for my book Biodiversity Studies: A Bibliographic Review; this work also included in Library Journal's 'Best Reference Sources 2000' list
• advanced to Associate Professor with tenure (19 May 2000)
• recipient of the 1999 University Libraries/Information Technologies WKU Outstanding Research/Creativity Award (24 March 1999)
• WKU Faculty Scholarship Grants: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
• began working at WKU (as "Science Librarian") (1 March 1995)

Web Materials Created by Charles Smith

I have written and/or compiled and maintain the following materials, available on the World Wide Web:

     Alfred Russel Wallace-Related Websites: 

• The Alfred Russel Wallace Page (extensive materials by and about the extraordinary English evolutionist, naturalist, and social critic, who lived from 1823-1913)
• Alfred R. Wallace: Evolution of an Evolutionist (monographic analysis)
• "Wallace on Conservation" (a collection of Wallace's conservation-related writings)
• "Full-Text of Wallace's Published Writings" (some eleven hundred texts)
• "Bibliography of the Writings of Alfred Russel Wallace"
• "Personal Names Index to the Writings of Alfred Russel Wallace" (close to 3000 names included in his more than 1100 publications)
• The Once and Future Wallace, or, Evolutionary Theorizing in the Manner of Alfred Russel Wallace (a website dwelling on my revisionist views of Wallace's thought, including biogeographic and systems theory modeling based on "final causes" thinking)
• Wallace Online (John van Wyhe, Charles H. Smith, et al.)

     Natural History and History-Related Databases:

• Early Classics in Biogeography, Distribution, and Diversity Studies: To 1950 (an enhanced bibliography with links to: (1) the full-text of many of the items listed, and (2) biographical information on the authors)
• Early Classics in Biogeography, Distribution, and Diversity Studies: 1951-1975 (a continuation of the previous service)
• Some Biogeographers, Evolutionists and Ecologists: Chrono-Biographical Sketches (a collection of more than 280 short biographical sketches)
• The Once and Future Wallace, or, Evolutionary Theorizing in the Manner of Alfred Russel Wallace (a website dwelling on my revisionist views of Wallace's thought, including biogeographic and systems theory modeling based on "final causes" thinking)
• Nineteenth Century Exploration of Australia (a website focusing on the routes of the Inland explorers)
• link to Ph.D. Dissertation (The Dynamics of Animal Distribution: An Evolutionary/Ecological Model)
• HERPFAUN (a taxon- and faunal unit-referenced bibliography of publications concerning the geographical distribution of reptiles and amphibians)
• MAMMFAUN (a taxon- and faunal unit-referenced bibliography of publications concerning the geographical distribution of mammals)
• The Distribution of Mammals: Mammal Families Distribution Maps (family-level range maps)

• Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems (poetry and song lyrics from the celebrated 1950s-70s topical and children's songs composer)
• The Classical Music Navigator (a web-based service facilitating the identification and linking of composers and their works, styles, and influences)
• The 111 Greatest Acts of the Anglo-American Folk Music Tradition... (an ordered list of 111+ folkies and folk-rockers, with links to websites)
• music CD and book reviews for Amazon.com
• "We Five's 'You Were on My Mind': Ode to a Sometimes-Maligned Song"
• "The Best Ten Hit Message Songs of the 60s: A Reflection"
• Suggestions for a Contemporary Music Genres Collection (classified browse list)