[Rockhounds] Rock and Minerals Books

[Ethel craven-sweet]

I am new to Rockhounds and really more serious about rock collecting now that I am fighting colon cancer and taking chemotherapy for it and go to Port Orchard, WA every other week to recuperate and their horse pasture has many, many rocks which I collect to add to my small? rock collection.  I live in an apartment but have rocks everywhere even on my balcony so that is why I put the ? behind small.  

I am looking for books on rock collecting and what books explain rocks and minerals in not so technical terms.  Pete's mention of the book, Golden Guide to Rocks and Minerals, sounds like one I need.  Does anyone know where I can find it?

Also, are there any books which tell the names of rocks?  I just collect pretty rocks and don't have the slightest idea of what they are except white quartz.  I think I might have found some rose quartz and a brownish kind of quartz and a greenish quartz--if there are such things, but don't know..  

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Ethel Craven-Sweet
grandsktn1 at yahoo.com

--- On Tue, 10/28/08, Pmodreski at aol.com <Pmodreski at aol.com> wrote:
From: Pmodreski at aol.com <Pmodreski at aol.com>
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] children's rock kit
To: rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com
Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 9:08 PM

The kit sounds pretty good, Kitty.  You can't expect any one product  like 
this to cover "everything".
 
I would suggest that for any young person... or beginner old person (or  
anyone for that matter), a copy of the Golden Guide to Rocks and Minerals;
there  
are many, many other rock & mineral field guides, but I still think this is
 
about the best one for an introduction to the subject.
 
Pete
 
 
 
In a message dated 10/28/2008 5:46:54 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
kahako at hawaiiantel.net writes:

Hi to  those on the list who are teachers or especially interested in 
inspiring  kids in our hobby:

I recently bought a Rocks & Minerals kit put  together by DK Eyewitness 
Books.  I got it at Costco for $19.69 and  it contains a 72-page book 
with lots of pictures and presents a multitude  of topics using only two 
facing pages (double-page spread) for each  topic.  The kit also contains 
a smaller 64-page book called "Expert  Files, a Hands-on Guide to Geology 
As Explained by Professionals in the  Field," a Clip-art CD, a booklet of 
tear-out profile cards, a wall chart,  a wall map of world geology and 
plates, and a set of paper cut-outs to be  folded and glued to form some 
basic crystal models.  These are all in  a fold-out box with pockets for 
each item, and the box fits in an  impressive sleeve about 9" x 12" x
2".

My impressions is that this is a  pretty good introduction to kids ages 9 
and up.  There are topics on  cutting and polishing, collecting, ores and 
metals, fossils, as well as  many others.  I have a couple of mild 
reservations:  for  example, the double-page spread on volcanic rocks 
makes no mention of  pahoehoe and a'a, however in another spread on
"What 
are rocks and  minerals?" they show a picture and explain how
"Pele's 
hair" is  made.  There's nothing on fluorescence or other types of  
luminescence.  And especially for kids, I think at least a page  should 
be on the many uses of rocks and minerals in human daily life, from  
cosmetics to bombs.  And I'm not enough of a scientist to know  whether 
their technical stuff is correct or not. 

I think that  before I give it to any of my young relations I'll keep it 
to show to  friends -- young and adult -- to get their impressions.  I 
tried to  find reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, but could only find 
comments on the  book (Rocks & Minerals, DK Eyewitness Expert) not the 
whole kit.   Any of you who have seen the kit, please let me know what 
you  think.

Aloha,  Kitty




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