Rocks & Minerals Books

Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals (Smithsonian Handbooks)

Chris Pellant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals combines 600 vivid full--color photos with descriptions of more than 500 specimens. This authoritative and systematic photographic approach, with words never separated from pictures, marks a new generation of identification guides. Each entry combines a precise description with annotated photographs to highlight the chief characteristics of the rock or mineral and distinguishing features. Color--coded bands provide a clear, at--a--glance facts for quick reference. In addition, each mineral entry features an illustration showing the crystal system to which the mineral belongs. Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, the Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals explains what rocks or minerals are, how they are classified, and how to start a collection. To help in the initial stages of rock identification, a clear visual key illustrates the differences between igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, then guides the reader to the correct rock entry. A concise glossary provides instant understanding of technical and scientific terms

Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

List Price: $45.00 By: Firefly Books Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $24.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

With 250,000 copies in print since its initial publication in 1983, NightWatch has become a standard reference guide for stargazers throughout North America.

The new Third Edition expands on that success with a completely revised and updated text, more than 100 new color photos and diagrams and 16 additional pages that cover such! new astronomical pursuits as computerized telescopes, reviews of new telescope designs and accessories, and astronomy on the Internet.

All charts, tables and diagrams have been updated and, in some cases, redesigned for easier use. Improved spacecraft measurements of the distances to the stars (recently released by the European Space Agency) are included in the charts, along with additional observing tips for stargazers using binoculars and telescopes. An expanded chapter on Astrophotography lists the best modern films and cameras for skyshooting.

The new NightWatch is faithful to the "ultra-simplified, no jargon" philosophy of the original, and at the same time, offers substantially more practical information for the novice and intermediate-level amateur astronomer. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada called the first edition "the best of its kind"- the new Third Edition is better still. It is still an abundantly illustrated, wide-sized volume designed for easy reference during many starlit nights.

Salt: A World History

Mark Kurlansky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 108 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A great read 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book took an item we take for granted today, salt, and discussed its history. Some have criticized the author for including so many recipes. I disagree. Salt is used in cooking after all, and to put salt into a proper context we need to witness how it was used.

I enjoyed how the author wove the various aspects of the salt trade into a coherent history. For instance, that salt was so important in wartime never struck me before, though it seems obvious now.

A good, hard to put down read, Salt: A World History is a good book for people who like history, economics or the culinary arts.

Editorial Review:

Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.

Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

Guy Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis

Amazon Price: $18.47 List Price: $27.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cambridge University Press - Model: 0521781906 Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $9.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A superb guidebook described in Bookwatch as 'the home astronomer's "bible"', Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. Revised and updated, this new edition contains a chapter with ten new spreads describing spectacular deep sky objects visible from the southern hemisphere, and tips on observing the upcoming transits of Venus. It also discusses Dobsonian telescopes, with hints on using personal computers and the Internet as aids for planning an observing session. Also new to this edition are redrawn "Guidepost" figures at the beginning of each season chapter that allow readers to visualize a three-dimensional view of the sky's dome; redesigned seasonal object layouts that provide more space for the naked-eye charts; a new spread on double stars near Boötes has been added to Spring, replacing the "Shrinking Double" spread; and a unique "When and Where to Look" table has been added to the last page, among other new features. Unlike many guides to the night sky, this book is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. Clear and easy to use, this fascinating book will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed.

Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks)

Cally Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good for real gems, but... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I'm a new beader, and while this is a beautiful book, many of the stones I buy are not listed when I look them up in the color-code index. My hopes were that when I forgot what the stone was called, or wanted more info to tell my customers, I could find it. There are so many color variations and so many semi-precious gemstones being made into beads, it may be impossible to have a total reference book. It is a great source for those gems listed, and it may be more geared toward rockhounds.

Absolutely beautiful and informative book. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is great reference gook if you are interested in gemstones and where they are found. I first checked this book out of the library to see if I wanted to buy it. I definitely wanted my own copy. I keep this by my computer, along with a copy "Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann, when I am looking for gemstones on the internet. The photographs are excellent and information is to the point.

pocket sized 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Its a very thorough reference guide. Kind of like a field guide that you could carry with you. It is organized very well and gives some good in depth information. I think for some users they may find some of the information quite over their heads. Being a Smithsonian publication it of course leans towards the scientific.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not What I Expected 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was really excited to buy this book, but it wasn't as great as I was expecting. The pictures are deceiving to me. I can't really use this book to identify rocks in my collection.

Fantastic reference book!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We are avid rockhounds and have been looking for a book to help identify some of what we find. This book had great photos and descriptions. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone.

Rock Identification 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The National Audubon Field Guides are all great and the clear pictures make rock and mineral identification much easier.

Editorial Review:

Perfect for mountain climbers and hikers, this valuable reference covers more rocks and minerals in North America than any other available guide. 794 full-color photographs depict all the important rocks, gems, and minerals -- in many variations of color and crystal form -- and the natural environments in which they occur; written descriptions provide information on field marks, similar rocks and minerals, environment, areas of occurrence, and derivation of names. Includes a guide to mineral collecting and a list of rock-forming minerals

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

Roger W. Sinnott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Confusing! 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book based on all the positive reviews. I thought it would be good for a beginner stargazer like me. This book is very confusing. Page after page of dots connected. I'm not sure where to look in the sky, what the constellations are, when to look. Help!! Maybe when I get better at finding constellations I will appreciate this book more, but in the meantime it has me puzzled.

Perfect for Intermediates 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really good for intermediates. You need to know the constellations to make this useful.

If only it was bigger or smaller 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a good field guide at the telescope. I like the layout and the information contained within it. Spiral bound is a plus, allowing you to lay it flat and not loose pages after a few weeks. However, I know it's a pocket book but its not! It's a little to big to be a pocket book and to small for easy identification of stellar targets. The size is just wrong! Bigger and it would be awesome, smaller and it would be very handy, as it is I use an old 1970s Patrick Moore book that is pocket size.

The best star atlas - period 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I wasn't sure what this atlas would be like. I mean, how many stars could you pack into a "pocket atlas". The answer - a lot. This atlas, in fact, does a very good job at putting most of the important stars and deep sky objects found in the 2000 sky atlas. The thing that impressed me the most, however, was the layout and organization of the book. After struggling for years with trying to find the right page or chart to see a particular portion of the sky, this atlas makes that job easy. It's opened up an whole world of casual sky browsing. Of all the atlases and guides I own (about 10), I like this the most.

Let's go rock collecting (Let's-read-and-find-out science)

Roma Gans

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Top Grade! 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Let's Go Rock Collecting is an excellent book in the Let's Read and Find Out Science Series. My son started with this book when he was 4 (he's now 5). It has great illustrations that capture a child's attention and actual photos of the various rocks described so that the child (and parent) can identify a few basic rocks.

One thing that is really great about this book is the simple illustrations to educate the reader about the Earth's Crust and Solid Rock Layer. There are simple diagrams of:

1. The components of a Volcano
2. Moh's Scale of hardness
3. The formation of sedimentary rocks
4. Metamorphic rock process

The book also ends with a practical suggestion that kids will love and that's how to begin your own rock collection and start to identify the rocks you have.

NOTE: Depending on your view of the age of the earth, you may like to know that this book utilizes millions of years in its descriptions.

Editorial Review:

Holly Keller has created vivacious new paintings for this favorite Reading Rainbow title about geology. Readers follow two enthusiastic rock hounds around the globe as they add to their collection. Along the way they will learn how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed. From the Egyptian pyramids to Roman roads, from the diamond ring on your finger to the pebbles under your feet'rocks are everywhere!

Crystal and Gem (Eyewitness Books (Knopf Hardcover))

R.F. Symes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A VISUAL FEAST! 5 out of 5 stars.
33 of 35 people found this review helpful.

The photographs of OVER 200 CRYSTALS AND GEMS is worth the purchase price of this book. And I am not just talking about ANY picture of each crystal, I am talking about a GORGEOUS, AMAZING sample picture of each crystal! Some of my favorite photographs/stones included are: Opals (My personal favorite stone ok, tied with Diamond!), Aragonite, Agate, Tourmaline, Calcite, Topaz, Barite, Hematite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, The Blue Hope Diamond, Ruskin's Ruby, Moonstone, Spodumene, Blende, Natural Mosaic, Malachite, Gold, Mother-of-Pearl, Turquoise....I could go on forever!

Here are the chapters: WHAT IS A CRYSTAL? A WORLD OF CRYSTALS, NATURAL BEAUTY, CRYSTALS-OUTSIDE, ...AND INSIDE, THE COLOR OF CRYSTALS, IDENTIFICATION, NATURAL GROWTH, GOOD HABITS, DISCOVERY-RECOVERY, GROWING FROM SEED, CRYSTALS AT WORK, GOOD VIBRATIONS, QUARTZ, DIAMOND, CORUNDUM, BERYL, OPAL, OTHER GEMSTONES, COLLECTORS' ITEMS, STONES FOR CARVING, PRECIOUS METALS, ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE, WHAT IS IT WORTH?, MAKING THEM SPARKLE, LORE AND LEGENDS, CRYSTALS AT HOME AND INDEX.

This is a must-own if you have any interest in the marvelous beauty of crystals and gems. Not only are the photographs great but the information is succinct and fascinating! I highly recommend this book along with any other of the 109 in the Eyewitness series! Talk about something for everyone! Thanks Dr. Symes and Dr. Harding! Wow!

Editorial Review:

Full-color photos. Learn about the formation and practical uses of crystals, semiprecious stones, and precious metals.

A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals (Peterson Field Guides)

Frederick H. Pough

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bought it for my 8-yr old 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my 8-year old daughter who is really into gems. It is really too old for her, and has few pictures. I'm sure it is fine for someone older.

Pough's Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It has been some time since I have had a copy of this well written book and having now obtained the latest edition I have found it to be of the same high standard as the earlier editions. The old copy that I used to own was a hard copy version and was bounded in a more secure way than this latest edition which seems to be glued together. The result being that one page has already come loose and it is most likely to be an ongoing problem. But the contents of the book itself is of a high standard.

Editorial Review:

The definitive guide to rocks and minerals, completely updated for the fifth edition, includes 385 color photographs showing rocks, minerals, and geologic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic distribution, physical properties, chemical composition, and crystalline structures.