Book recommendations

Rosco53

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Hey all-
Bored on quarantine and stumbled upon a pic of Agates on FB. Since a road trip to MD for sharks teeth is outta the question, I have been toying with the idea of going out for rocks instead now. I'm in northern WI, so Superior and Michigan aren't too far from me, a do-able day trip. Just wondering what books you'd suggest. Looked on amazon and FB, saw the Audubon Guide, and a few others, so just looking for recommendations. Figure do some research now so when I can get outta the house I'll have somewhat of an idea what to look for beyond "ooh, that looks cool". Maybe a healthier hobby than searching coins too, get me outside. Thanks in advance!
 

There are a lot of great books out there but one of my personal favorite is Dictionary of Gems and Gemology by Professor Dr. Mohsen Manutchehr-Danai ISBN: 978-3-540-72795-8

I have both the hard copy and PDF versions and highly recommended it.
 

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The Audubon Guide is a great one but you may want to research a rock and mineral guide for where your at. Local books tend to be more helpful if your not wandering to far from home and usually give great advice on where to find minerals you may want to target for your collection. Welcome to rock hounding :)
 

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The Audubon Guide is a great one but you may want to research a rock and mineral guide for where your at. Local books tend to be more helpful if your not wandering to far from home and usually give great advice on where to find minerals you may want to target for your collection. Welcome to rock hounding :)

Agree 100% - region-specific really helps. As a beginner, The Audubon Guide is highly edifying in a general sense, but local books have been most useful for actual identifications.
 

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Appreciate the input. Definitely looking at regional books as well, but wanted a good blanket starter...
 

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Here are a few links to free books and other stuff.

https://archive.org/details/danasmanualofmin00danarich/page/1/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicate_mineral#Phyllosilicates
https://archive.org/details/mineralogyhatchf00hatcrich/page/n15/mode/2up
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3136217&view=1up&seq=237
Mineral Identification Key
https://www.minerals.net/mineral/pyrite.aspx
https://www.mindat.org/

The books are older but are to the point. Use other sites for colored images. I would start with Dana's book, but it is up to you how you wish to proceed. Do not be disparaged if you get overwhelmed in the beginning. Pace yourself and the sky will clear.

Best of luck.
 

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