Book recommendations

[Rosco53]

Hey all-
Bored on quarantine and stumbled upon a pic of Agates on FB. Since a road trip to MD for sharks teeth is outta the question, I have been toying with the idea of going out for rocks instead now. I'm in northern WI, so Superior and Michigan aren't too far from me, a do-able day trip. Just wondering what books you'd suggest. Looked on amazon and FB, saw the Audubon Guide, and a few others, so just looking for recommendations. Figure do some research now so when I can get outta the house I'll have somewhat of an idea what to look for beyond "ooh, that looks cool". Maybe a healthier hobby than searching coins too, get me outside. Thanks in advance!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[blauer]

There are a lot of great books out there but one of my personal favorite is Dictionary of Gems and Gemology by Professor Dr. Mohsen Manutchehr-Danai ISBN: 978-3-540-72795-8

I have both the hard copy and PDF versions and highly recommended it.

 

[DDancer]

The Audubon Guide is a great one but you may want to research a rock and mineral guide for where your at. Local books tend to be more helpful if your not wandering to far from home and usually give great advice on where to find minerals you may want to target for your collection. Welcome to rock hounding

 

[BridgetownTreasures]

The Audubon Guide is a great one but you may want to research a rock and mineral guide for where your at. Local books tend to be more helpful if your not wandering to far from home and usually give great advice on where to find minerals you may want to target for your collection. Welcome to rock hounding

Agree 100% - region-specific really helps. As a beginner, The Audubon Guide is highly edifying in a general sense, but local books have been most useful for actual identifications.

 

[Rosco53]

Appreciate the input. Definitely looking at regional books as well, but wanted a good blanket starter...

 

[fuss]

https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Gem-Definitive-Minerals-Gemstones/dp/0756633427

I have this, easy read and great photos. Some books get pretty heavy and technical like this one I also have, its amazing but not a page turner ( I get exhausted after a few pages).

https://www.amazon.com/Mineralogy-John-Sinkankas/dp/0442276249

 

[fuss]

I didn't see where you are from till I posted, You should get this one for sure.

https://www.amazon.com/Rockhounding-Wisconsin-Guide-States-Sites/dp/1493028545

 

[Rosco53]

I didn't see where you are from till I posted, You should get this one for sure.

https://www.amazon.com/Rockhounding-Wisconsin-Guide-States-Sites/dp/1493028545

Appreciate the recommendations. Have a few of those on my amazon list, looking for them cheaper on e-bay now. relatively sure this will just end in me going to a beach/quarry and being like "hmm...that looks cool" instead of "OMG (latin name here)!"

 

[Moesia]

Here are a few links to free books and other stuff.

https://archive.org/details/danasmanualofmin00danarich/page/1/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicate_mineral#Phyllosilicates
https://archive.org/details/mineralogyhatchf00hatcrich/page/n15/mode/2up
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3136217&view=1up&seq=237
Mineral Identification Key
https://www.minerals.net/mineral/pyrite.aspx
https://www.mindat.org/

The books are older but are to the point. Use other sites for colored images. I would start with Dana's book, but it is up to you how you wish to proceed. Do not be disparaged if you get overwhelmed in the beginning. Pace yourself and the sky will clear.

Best of luck.