Exploring
and
Mining for Gems and Gold in the West by Fred Rynerson
This book is the personal history of the
adventures of
Fred Rynerson, one of the early tourmaline miners of San Diego
County.
Although he did not have a lot of formal education, he was a
very intelligent
man who had a keen eye for geology and for people. This is
one of
my all-time favorite books--if you have any interest at all in
pegmatites
or what conditions were like in early twentieth century southern
California,
I highly recommend this book.
Emerald
and Other Beryls by John Sinkankas
This classic covers almost everything you would
like
to know about beryls: crystallography, history, worldwide
occurence, coloring
agents, synthesis techniques and more. This is a fun book
to read
if you have any interest in beryls. Hard to find but there
are copies
out there, and worth searching for.
Field
Collecting
Gemstones and Minerals by John Sinkankas
The one thing I don't like about this book is the
title--there
are many books on collecting rocks and minerals that are almost
completely
worthless. This is not one of those books. This book
is filled
with useful tips on where to find fine mineral specimens and how
to get
them out safely once you do find them. The section on
pegmatites
is excellent.
Gem
and Crystal Treasures by Peter Bancroft
In Gem and Crystal Treasures you'll find photos
and descriptions
of many of the most famous mines in the world. After going
to a few
mineral shows or reading the literature, you'll see certain
sites turning
up time and time again. This book describes many of those
sites.
Dana's
New
Mineralogy : The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and
Edward
Salisbury Dana by James Dwight Dana, H. Catherine W.
Skinner, Eugene
E. Foord, Richard V. Gaines.
This is the new edition of the long out-of-print
classic.
I haven't had much of chance to look at it yet (it's VERY
expensive), but
if it's anything like the last edition every serious mineral
collector
will want to have a copy.
Handbook
of
Mineralogy, Elements, Sulfides and Sulfosalts by John W.
Anthony,
Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, Monte C. Nichols
Handbook
of
Mineralogy : Silica, Silicates by John W. Anthony, Richard
A. Bideaux,
Kenneth W. Bladh, Monte C. Nichols
Handbook
of
Mineralogy : Halides, Hydroxides, Oxides by John W.
Anthony
This three volume set came out before the new
edition
of Dana's, and I believe it was intended to serve the same
purpose.
Like the seventh edition of Dana's System, it too is in three
volumes.
Like the new Dana's, it's also quite expensive--but it can at
least be
purchased a volume at a time.
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Do you know some good books that should be included here? Tell me about them! Please send them to Jim Means