The Collector’s Guide to the Minerals of New York State: Book Review

The Collector's Guide to the Minerals of New York State . Dr. Steven C. Chamberlain and Dr. George W. Robinson. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 2013. 96 pp.

In writing The Collector's Guide to the Minerals of New York State, Dr. Steven C. Chamberlain and Dr. George W. Robinson have created a new type of multi-faceted mineral collector's guide. The guide works on many levels, allowing a variety of readers to access information about the rich history and deposits of the minerals of New York state.

The organization and structure of the guide is engaging for everyone. There is something here for rockhounds, hobbyists, mineral dealers, and geologists. The guide is organized by the type of mineral occurrence and by location. Each location is outlined very logically by:

• Significance
• Location and History
• Geology of Origin
• Minerals
• Similar Occurrences
• References

The guide's organization helps readers anticipate the next location and produce geological maps in their minds. This allows readers to comprehend the great richness of New York's mineral deposits.

Other mineral guides that I own lack professional quality photographs of the minerals. This is certainly not the case in Chamberlain and Robinson's guide. The size, quantity, and level of professional photography can easily make this guide a beautiful coffee table book as well.

The combination of the history, professional photos, and the deposit location/access instructions motivated me to pull out my shovel, hammer, and hard hat and start planning my next mineral mining adventure. I believe this guide has the potential to start a serious revival in mining and collecting the minerals of New York state.

Mark Oros, http://www.hashnustones.com

The Collector's Guide to the Minerals of New York State is available through Amazon.