Review by Booklist Review
A scholarly survey of mineralogy, this manual will appeal to the serious specimen collector with its stunning photos and erudite detailing. A color chart in the fold-out cover divides sections into blue, red, yellow, brown, green, black, and white rocks. A matching back cover categorizes and diagrams 28 crystalline forms. Each entry identifies the mineral by chemical formula and lists succinct details of cleavage, hardness, luster, density, fracture, and tenacity. Some contain common names (fool's gold, desert rose). Descriptors specify types vitreous, aggregate, metamorphic, igneous, radial and catalogue geometric shapes with such terms as isometric, monoclinic, tetragonal, rhombic. Commentary links minerals with geological formation in Alpine-type fissures, sedimentary rock, and hydrothermal veins and identifies some locales, such as Iceland, the Canary Islands, and Silverberg in the Bavarian Forest. A knowledgeable historian as well as mineralogist, Hochleitner notes anecdotal particulars; for example, the fact that Goethe was a rock hound, aegirite bears the name of the Nordic sea god, and copper working began in the Stone Age. A book for serious students of geology and earth elements, this work comes highly recommended for public, high-school, and college libraries.--Mary Ellen Snodgrass Copyright 2020 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Hochleitner's (deputy director, Mineralogical State Collection Munich) pocket-size field guide is detailed and precise. Arranged by streak color (the residue left when dragging a specimen across an unglazed ceramic plate), it includes abundant, detailed photos of specimens in natural states and, often, close-ups after cutting or polishing, as well as key features for identification. Brief descriptions and information on chemical composition, crystal structure, and location aid in usefulness. VERDICT Consider for all libraries when updating earth sciences or mineralogy sections.
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