Introducing Mineralogy

John Mason is a geology graduate who has studied the old mines in the hills of mid-Wales. He is an honorary research fellow at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

• Prologue: a mineral prospector's tale; 1. The basics of mineralogy; 2. Typical mineral occurrences; 3. Atypical concentrations of minerals; 4. Mineral collecting: where science and leisure overlap; 5. Studying mineral assemblages and parageneses; 6. Uses of minerals; 7. Minerals and the environment. Epilogue. Glossary. Further reading and resources.

'The writing style is very clever, presenting concise technical information pitched at a level where even somebody with very little knowledge of science can become absorbed and learn at ease…In summary, this book does exactly what the title says: Introducing Mineralogy. It is an excellent introductory book on mineralogy, well written and covers all of the basics very well…'Mineralogical Magazine'Unlike others book about minerals, this does not provide pages of descriptions of individual minerals, for that is an area that's already well covered. Neither does it present a deep coverage of mineralogy in the style of some of the dusty old textbooks that I remember from my undergraduate days (thank goodness).What we have here is a refreshing approach to the subject from an author who knows minerals well from a collectors perspective, but who is a geology graduate - arguably the perfect person to write such a book to introduce the subject… The book is beautifully illustrated by specimens that haven't been chosen to make the book look pretty, but for good scientific reasons. I repeat that in many ways this a unique approach to the subject of mineralogy, but it is one that works and will provide anyone looking for a way in to the subject with some sound and interesting material.'Down to Earth magazine'Introducing Mineralogy is aimed at the amateur collector and anyone interested in minerals. It would also be appropriate for an introductory mineralogy class for nonscience majors. The author, John Mason, has done an outstanding job of presenting complex notions in simple terms, providing many examples to which the reader can relate. The book is divided into seven chapters, and throughout, terms defined in the exhaustive glossary are highlighted. The book is also well illustrated, with over 100 color photographs mostly illustrating examples from the UK.'Elements