The Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks & Minerals: How to Find, Identify, Collect and Maintain the World's best Specimens, with over 1000 Photographs and Artworks

by John Farndon

This is the ultimate photographic guide to the world of rocks and minerals, with a strong emphasis on how to build a diverse and colorful collection.

Genres: Science

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2006

About the author

John Farndon is an internationally known author, as well as a playwright, composer and songwriter, whose work has been performed at such theatres as the Donmar and Almeida in London and the Salisbury Playhouse and selected for showcases, such as Beyond the Gate.

He has written hundreds of books, which have sold millions of copies around the world in most major languages and include many best-sellers, such as the award-winning Do Not Open, which received rave reviews in the USA and became a cult-hit as well as featuring on the New York Times and Washington Post best-seller lists. In earlier years, he wrote mostly for children, and has been shortlisted a record four times for the junior Science Book prize. Books such as How Science Works and How the Earth Works each sold over a million copies worldwide. But recently he has written much more for adults.

Many of his books focus on popular science, and in particular earth science, nature, and environmental issues. His Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks and Mineral is widely used as a reference work by geologists, while The Atlas of Oceans, his big book on endangered life in the oceans for Yale in the USA (A&C Black in the UK and Australian Geographic in Australia), garnered glowing reports prepublication from major figures such as the Cousteaus, Carl Safina, Nancy Knowlton and Harm de Blij.

But he has covered a wide range of topics, from contemporary China to the food market. The history of ideas and intellectual curiosity is a particular speciality.

In 2010, his book for Icon Do You Think You're Clever? was a best-seller, reaching the top 20 on Amazon and the top 10 in South Africa and Turkey, and was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Education Award. The follow-up The World’s Greatest Idea was selected as one of the top 50 Wish List books of the year in South Africa.

He has been interviewed extensively on radio and TV stations around the world, and conducted talks, demonstrations and displays at many events, from the Brighton Science Festival to the Oxford Literary Festival.

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must confess: I'm a stone-collector; not fanatically, but still, every time we return from a holiday destination, I smuggle some of those little things in our luggage. My wife and children look at it with troubled pity, but for now tolerate it as one of my allowed deviations,"no harm, no foul". Just to say that I have read this book with great interest, contemplating my small collection with boyish pleasure. It is a very specialized book, but with a lot of technical jargon, printed in a super small font. Not really adapted to use 'on the field'.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

great reference book! (probably need a pocket size field guide in addition to this large book.)