Hard Copy Mineral References

A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by Frederick H. Pough is now published under the Peterson Field Guide series. This guide has been in publication for about 50 years and during that time, countless editions have traveled the world in the back packs of countless mineral collectors and prospectors. Features descriptions and pictures for 400 common minerals and 200 common rocks.

With color photographs by Jeffery Scovil and species descriptions by Frederick Pough, there is not much lacking in this guide for usefulness. If you had only one book about mineral identification to buy, this is the one.

Very inexpensive and recommended for earth scientists, mineral collectors, and students of all ages. I would recommend trying to find the out-of-print hard back version if you take this book into the field.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals is set-up much like the similar Field Guide to North American Birds. The indexing in the book is by color where all the red minerals are in the same section in the mineral book just as all the sparrows are in the same section in the bird book.

Once you get over the unconventional layout for a mineral identification book, the information is presented in clear, concise language with color pictures. The binding is robust as a field book should be. Only the more common minerals are included.

A well-made book recommended for amateur mineral collectors, hikers, and anyone interested in identifying minerals found on nature hikes.  

This book contains mineral references to about 400 of the more common rocks and minerals with full color pictures. The edition is small and spiral bound - suitable for field use.

This book is inexpensive and is recommended for grade school through high school students and for mineral collectors who need a robust, small format book to take into the field on collecting trips. The rock identification section is not very extensive.

This handbook contains the mineral name (all valid species only), mineral grouping, chemical formula, type locality, and scientific references. The edition is the currently accepted "bible" of valid mineral species. All mineral entries are condensed to a 3 to 4 lines/mineral with a minimal amount of data per mineral. This edition is used by webmineral to verify the correct spelling of the mineral name and the type locality.

This volume is recommended for all mineral collectors who need a simple, comprehensive list of all minerals. This book is a must for the species collectors. There is even a check-box in front of each mineral name that can be marked to provide a record of the mineral species in the mineral collectors collection.

This book contains technical mineral data and references to all mineral species as of the publication date (1997) in a single volume. The condensed format lists essential technical mineral data including the Dana ID number. Illustrations are sparse and no mineral pictures are present. The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors.

The book is printed on thin paper and requires care in use to insure that pages do not get folded or dog-eared. The edition is also plagued with some errors caused by publisher, John Wiley & Sons, rushing the publication of the volume before the final editing by the authors.

Additional information on the silicate Dana classification hierarchy not found in the book are incorporated in webmineral's section on silicate minerals. New Dana numbers have been added to webmineral's data for minerals published after 1997.

This book contains mineral references to all elements, sulfides, and sulfosalt species as of the publication date (1990). The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors. Illustrations and pictures are not present and the format is one species per page (no matter what species).

All volumes of the Handbook of Mineralogy are signature-sewn,  heavy, archival paper with gray buckram covers.

The best way to purchase the full set of volumes (I-V) for the Handbook of Mineralogy is by becoming a member ($55.00 or $5.00 for student) of the Mineralogical Society of America and take advantage of the 25% member discount.

These books (2 part set) contains mineral references to all silica and silicate species as of the publication date (1995). The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors. Illustrations and pictures are not present and the format is one species per page (no matter what species).

The mineral species data in this handbook volume is available on-line through webmineral's species pages (See Also: Handbook of Mineralogy) or through the Mineralogy Society of America website.

All volumes of the Handbook of Mineralogy are signature-sewn,  heavy, archival paper with gray buckram covers.

The best way to purchase the full set of volumes (I-V) for the Handbook of Mineralogy is by becoming a member ($55.00 or $5.00 for student) of the Mineralogical Society of America and take advantage of the 25% member discount.

This book contains mineral references to all halide, hydroxide and oxide species as of the publication date (1997). The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors. Illustrations and pictures are not present and the format is one species per page (no matter what species).

All volumes of the Handbook of Mineralogy are signature-sewn, heavy, archival paper with gray buckram covers.

The best way to purchase the full set of volumes (I-V) for the Handbook of Mineralogy is by becoming a member ($55.00 or $5.00 for student) of the Mineralogical Society of America and take advantage of the 25% member discount.

This book contains mineral references to all arsenate, phosphate and vanadate species as of the publication date (2000). The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors. Illustrations and pictures are not present and the format is one species per page (no matter what species).

All volumes of the Handbook of Mineralogy are signature-sewn,  heavy, archival paper with gray buckram covers.

The best way to purchase the full set of volumes (I-V) for the Handbook of Mineralogy is by becoming a member ($55.00 or $5.00 for student) of the Mineralogical Society of America and take advantage of the 25% member discount.

This book contains mineral references to all borate, carbonate, and sulfate species as of the publication date (2003). The edition is expensive and is recommended primarily for technical reference libraries, mineralogy professionals, and advanced mineral collectors. Illustrations and pictures are not present and the format is one species per page (no matter what species).

All volumes of the Handbook of Mineralogy are signature-sewn,  heavy, archival paper with gray buckram covers.

The best way to purchase the full set of volumes (I-V) for the Handbook of Mineralogy is by becoming a member ($55.00 or $5.00 for student) of the Mineralogical Society of America and take advantage of the 25% member discount.

The Elements (Oxford Chemistry Guides) is a quick guide on the essential reference data to all the elements of the periodic table. The book is recommended for college students and inclusion in the technical reference library for scientific professionals who need quick a small, single, reference handbook.

This data was used in webmineral to provide basic chemical information on the elements and naturally occurring isotopes.

Each element is listed in alphabetical order so that all the pertinent data for that element is displayed on two facing pages in the book. Very handy.