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Rock and Gem
List Price: $40.00
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Manufacturer: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
Author: Ra Bonewitz
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: 2005-01
Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
Label: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
Number Of Pages: 360
Features:
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Editorial Review:
From glittering gemstones to fascinating minerals and fossils, Rock and Gem is an incredible celebration of the Earth's buried treasures. Including specially commissioned photographs of more than 450 illustrious specimens and information-rich text, this book illustrates each stone¹s unique characteristics and its relationship to humankind through the ages.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Basic Gem  2008-10-18
A little more basic than the blurb lead me to believe. This was for a gift so I was disappointed that it arrived a little damaged. But the gem and mineral photos were excellent.
rock hounder's ultimate reference  2008-02-25
I've been looking for a reference to learn about gem stones after several trips to North Carolina mines. This is the best I've ever found for the lay man. Great pictures & history. I've learned more about what makes a stone precious from this guide than from anyone I've talked to. It also is useful if you plan to visit mines in other parts of the world.
Wonderful 2007-11-15
I just love this book. It's beautifully done, great pictures, great and detailled imformation, easy to consult and very handy. I definitely recomend it.
Good general overview for non-scientist 2007-02-16
Nice large book with color pictures throughout. Good basic reference containing most of the common minerals plus other substances such as amber, fossils, etc. Some photos mislabeled, which is unfortunate since the point here is to learn to identify.
Beautiful all-in-one guide to rocks & minerals 2006-01-31
What a beautiful book! This coffee table book on rocks and minerals is absolutely stunning.
The book is divided into 4 sections:
1.Origins, focusing on the evolution of the Earth and the universe, and how and why minerals are formed.
2.Rocks, a species-by-species guide to the major sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
3.Minerals, a species-by-species guide to the key minerals (silicates, oxides, sulfates, etc.).
4.Fossils, showing fossils of the major taxonomic groups.
The strength of the book is sections 2 and 3. Almost every page has jaw-dropping photographs of high-quality museum specimens of rocks and minerals (principally from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History), interspersed with great stock photography. On a visual basis, this book leaves its competition in the dust. The accompanying text is interesting as well, particularly in its explanations of how various minerals (and their component elements) are used in modern society. The species-by-species descriptions are interrupted by sidebars on interesting topics (the Taj Mahal, the Hope Diamond, the Petrified Forest, etc.).
To make this book an ideal stand-alone volume on rocks and minerals, some of the space devoted to individual rock, mineral, and fossil descriptions should have been allocated instead to more general topics. Instead of 100 pages on individual silicate minerals, for example, the book could have used more detailed information on rock collecting, mineral properties, and mineral extraction (mining). Still, this comes closer to being an all-in-one guide to rocks and minerals for the layperson than any other book I have come across.
Be aware that you are buying a general information volume on rocks and minerals, not a rock collecting guide. The book's size and information content both work against using this book in the field. To make a comparison with astronomy, this book is more like a collection of photos from the Hubble Space Telescope than a star chart that will show you how to find the constellations.
With that caveat in mind, this book is a source of wonder that you will find yourself returning to time and time again. It will make you aware of how much natural beauty there is in our world, for those who take the time to look.
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