Introduction to Mineralogy

William D. Nesse is Professor Emeritus of Geology at the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. He is the author of both Introduction to Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy.Graham B. Baird is a Professor at the University of Northern Colorado; he succeeded Dr. Nesse in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department upon Dr. Nesse's retirement. Dr. Baird contributed to both the second and third editions of the text and is coming onto the fourth edition as a full coauthor. Dr. Baird teaches the introduction to mineralogy course, as well as physical geology, petrology, and geologic field techniques. He is actively doing research in the Front Range of Colorado, the Adirondacks of northern New York, and in the Kebnekaise region of northern Sweden. In addition to working with both undergraduates and master-level students on their research projects, Dr. Baird created a TED-Ed lesson on crystals.

It is well-organized and written in a style that should be easily accessible to undergraduate students. The sections on analytical techniques and strategies for study present comfortable guidance to novice researchers in the mineral sciences. It is not intimidating but is a fine reference text for use in other courses in the earth sciences. -Andrew Wulff, Western Kentucky University