Salt: A World History
by Mark Kurlansky
from Penguin (Non-Classics)
Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.
Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Third Edition
by Walter Schumann
from Sterling
All the gemstones are treated in their many variations: more than 1,500 full-color photos showcase each precious and semiprecious stone in both its rough, natural, and its polished and cut renditions. Each entry offers complete information on the gemstone’s formation, structure, physical properties, and characteristics, along with the best methods of working, cutting, and polishing it. There are even full treatments of lesser-known gems, from andalusite to vesuvian, and a special section is devoted to rocks as precious stones, including alabaster, onyx, obsidian, and fossils. Organic gem materials are also covered, such as coral, ivory, amber, and pearl. Charts and tables help collectors identify unknown gemstones and check for genuineness.
Rocks, Gems and Minerals: Revised and Updated (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)
by Paul R. Shaffer
from Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press
Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia
by Prince Michael of Greece
from Vendome Press
The worldÂ’s fascination with the Russian imperial family endures, and with this stunning book a new spotlight is added. Jewels of the Tsars, the first book to examine the familyÂ’s unparalleled collection, is illustrated with extraordinary photographs taken under special conditions at the KremlinÂ’s Diamond Fund, and accompanied by 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the Tsars, their families, and their court. Prince Michael of Greece, a Romanoff descendant, writes with an insiderÂ’s knowledge of his familyÂ’s passion for rare and beautiful jewels, and their place in the troubled history of Imperial Russia.
Rockhounding California
by Gail A. Butler
from Falcon
Although known for its gold production, California is a virtual haven for rock and gem collectors. With this informative guide, you can explore the mineral-rich desert regions, comb tide-washed beaches for jade, agate, abalone, fossilized whale bone, and prospect in the mountains and hills for gold, copper, and other minerals and gems. It describes 75 of the state's best rockhounding sites and covers popular and commercial sites as well as numerous little-known areas. This handy guide also describes how to collect specimens, includes maps and directions to each site, and lists rockhound clubs around the state. Rockhounding California offers a complete introduction to this many-faceted hobby and is an outstanding guide and sourcebook.
Crystals for Beginners: A Guide to Collecting & Using Stones & Crystals (For Beginners (Llewellyn's))
by Corrine Kenner
from Llewellyn Publications
Crystals for Beginners explores the universal allure of crystals and demonstrates how to channel their dynamic energies. From agates to zoisite, the characteristics of specific crystals are presented, along with advice for collecting, cleansing, and charging them. Readers also learn how to apply crystal energy to meditation, healing, psychic development, magic, divination, astral projection, dream work, and much more.
Jewels: A Secret History
by Victoria Finlay
from Random House Trade Paperbacks
Throughout history, precious stones have inspired passions and poetry, quests and curses, sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book, journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel, geology, exciting new research, and her own irresistible charm, Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable, glamorous, and mysterious substances on earth.
With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color, Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatra’s long-deserted emerald mines, tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires, and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the world’s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag.
Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history, across cultures, deep into the earth’s mantle, and up to the glittering heights of fame, power, and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured, to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond, Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.
From the Hardcover edition.
Well Logging for Earth Scientists
by Darwin V. Ellis
from Springer
Well logging lies at the intersection of applied geophysics, petroleum and geotechnical engineering. It has its roots in the tentative electrical measurements in well bores which were made by the Schlumberger brothers some 80 years ago in the earliest days of systematic petroleum exploration. Today, a variety of specialized instruments is used to obtain measurements from the borehole during, as well as after, the drilling process. This readable and authoritative treatment of the physics of these measurements dispels the "black magic" of well log interpretation by relating them, including those obtained by the latest generation of tools, to rock physics. It offers a thorough exposé of the physical basis of borehole geophysical measurements, as well as an introduction to practical petrophysics -- extracting desired properties from well log measurements.
Well Logging for Earth Scientists, 2nd edition, is thoroughly revised and extended with three new chapters, many new illustrations and expanded and updated references in each chapter.
(The Solution Manual will be available from this website soon)
Introduction to Mineral Exploration
from Blackwell Publishing
This new, up dated edition of Introduction to Mineral Exploration provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of mineral exploration.
- Covers not only the nature of mineral exploration but also considers other factors essential to successful exploration, from target evaluation to feasibility studies for extraction and production.
- Includes six detailed case studies, selected for the range of different problems and considerations they present to the mineral explorationist.
- Features new chapters on handling mineral exploration data and a new case study on the exploration for diamonds.
- Essential reading for upper level undergraduates studying ore geology, mineral exploration, mining geology, coal exploration, and industrial minerals, as well as professional geologists.
Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/moon.
Gem Trails of Arizona
by James R. Mitchell
from Gem Guides Book Company
Arizona is known the world over for its rich abundance and variety of geological treasures. Newly revised, the fourth edition of this best-selling guide updates the well-known sites and features twenty new locations for collecting rocks, minerals, crystals and fossils. Situated in landscape as diverse as the minerals themselves, these sites vary from arid desert to pine covered peaks. Includes over 90 collecting sites.
Detailed text describes where to go and what to look for at each collecting area. Maps for each site lead the rockhound to an almost limitless supply of specimens. Black and white photographs picture the collecting areas. Color photographs highlight beautiful specimens. A new glossary makes it easier to locate that special specimen for your collection.
Filled with expert advice based on years of experience, Gem Trails of Arizona is an invaluable guide for the rockhound just starting out. For the experienced collector who has searched for Arizona's mineral resources for years, it is an outstanding source for the best collecting sites throughout this scenic state.
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