We consider a guide to rock and mineral to be a worthy investment in the long run.
We are here to help you choose the right one for your needs from all the best available products in market today.
Our review process:
After analysing dozens of guides for the past few months, here are our favorite guides, in a wide range of styles and prices.
Our final collection has the best products and we also worked hard to maintain variety within our selection to accommodate personal preferences.
We have collected guides from several brands including bob lynch, national audubon society, martin prinz, pough, dan r lynch etc., specific to your regular usage .
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National Audubon Society line of guide come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This book is for anyone from the casual rockhound to anyone thinking about going in to the Lapidary field. It offers the most in depth, yet easy to understand information. It's a must have for rock hounds and fossil hunters. If you're looking for something that will show you all the different colors of agate, slate, conglomerate, granite, etc.
It's a great book for budding geologists, or for guys who have hearts made of stone. The color plates are nicely photographed and direct the reader to the corresponding pages which contain all the mineralogic characteristics of the specimens. These keys are integeral to quick identification.
Why We Like This:
Compact informative detailed and well illustrated with photos for the amateur geologist
Very conveniently sized, great to take on hikes
Great for anyone interested in minerals and rocks, especially kids
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If you are currently in the market looking for a reliable guide for your daily usage, you cannot go wrong with the ronald bonewitz guide to rock and mineral. If you want to satiate a curiosity for rocks, minerals, crystals, etc., then this is THE book for you. It provides a relatively detailed introduction to the world of geology with a heavy focus on minerals. It includes the formation of the universe, the formation of the earth and earth's crust. It has beautiful color photos, with well written information about the rocks, gems, fossils and minerals shown on the pages.
This book is a great information source (as most of DK books), covering most amount of minerals. The Pictures are fantasticly clear with quality color tones that resemble what the specimens look like in reality. It looks like a children's book with pictures, the illustrations in the book are very appropriate to the topic at hand and give the reader a fuller understanding of the concepts/information being explored. The book is very detailed and has good illustrations and pictures to easily identify any rocks and minerals that you find out in the field.
Why We Like This:
A must have for everyone who is into gems
Great pictures and descriptions of of the rocks and minerals
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The sarah garlick guide to rock and mineral is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily usage. This is a very nice pocket guide for the casual or budding rock-hound. It features an example of a mineral, rock, etc. It works for a 9 year old budding rock hound. The graphics of the book are first-rate, in terms of quality of the image and creativity of the layout of the images and text. The book is "basic" and would work as long as you don't want intricate details.
This book uses clear graphics and language for the novice who is out rock-hunting. They have not only a lovely photograph of each item but also a line drawing which, in many cases, offers a clearer idea of just what you're looking at.
Why We Like This:
Great for rock hounds, amateur geologists and prospectors
Wonderful to take camping and hiking
Perfect size little book for a little expert in the making
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Best part: dan r lynch guide to rock and mineral costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This is a good book for amateur rock hounds in Oregon and Washington. It includes regular rocks too which is the most valuable tool. It can be used in conjunction with geology of oregon and roadside geology of oregon.
The pictures are incredible for a thick pocket sized book. It is a small book, so it travels easily. It is easy to look up/identify rocks and minerals. It is a great way to learn on your own. It is a good book for amateur rock hounds in Oregon and Washington. It’s also very handy that it has locations to find them.
Why We Like This:
Makes just finding cool rocls fun and interesting
Very informative, gives great descriptions and pictures are clear and vivid
Great identification of gems and minerals
Perfect small size to stick in your pack on the go
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Not everyone likes to purchase guide for their daily usage, but the dan r lynch great guide would be an anomoly. This little book is easy to carry when rock hounding. It is perfect for your beach bag, it's tiny. It includes an occurrence map, as well as details about the types of places where the rock or mineral is typically found. It can take on a rainbow of colors depending on impurities. It is a great guide on where to look, small enough to take along on rock hunts.
This is a great guide for anyone who likes to rock hunt in Michigan, for beginners or true rock lovers. It's very convenient and compact, fits in a shoulder bag or big pocket with no trouble.
Why We Like This:
Great for anyone who loves to rock hunt
Clear, concise, full-color pictures, easy-to-understand text
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The farndon guide to rock and mineral's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. If you love geology or are a rock hound this is an excellent and very helpful guide. It does a wonderful job of teaching you how to identify rocks and minerals, using multiple methods such as location, surroundings, color, hardness, etc. The basic geology of the earth is covered very well. It does have wonderful information and great for young in school person where small print and small pictures aren't a problem.
As a guidebook, this is an excellent resource, particularly for those who've either a core knowledge of geology established through learning on their own or anyone who has taken a formal Geology course and want a resource other than a textbook. The book text is very well written and "just right" for the anticipated reader audience. It's fun, and educational.
Why We Like This:
Many wonderful pictures, an easy read for kids or adults
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The martin prinz guide to rock and mineral is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily purpose. There are hundreds upon hundreds of rocks and minerals listed, which makes it one of the best companions in the field. This book is helpful in identifying mineral specimens from around the word, and also provides easy-to-find and essential information about each one. It has pretty pictures and lots of text which looks all scientific stuff. It is perfect for college student, and it helps a lot with study.
The pictures and mineral information are easy to use and useful. The book is very informative, and it could be a text book instead of a pocket guide. It isn't bulky, and the correct size to carry with you on a mountain trip or archaeological dig. It is designed to be a lab-use one.
Why We Like This:
A very nice, concise book about rocks and minerals
A very good intermediate level guide to rocks and minerals
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The bob lynch guide to rock and mineral should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. If you want to collect rocks, gems, and minerals this book is a MUST have. It is clearly written and easy to understand for both the novice and the expert alike. The pictures are thorough and show the natural state of the rock as you will see it in the wild as well as polished. It can fit in your pocket to take anywhere.
This book will help you to EASILY identify most rocks and minerals that you find in the field, and it is the perfect size to take into the field, which can't be said of many books out there. The book is sturdy in binding, and is 4" wide by 6" tall by 1/2" thick. It has a section on testing your sample such as hardness, streak test etc.
Why We Like This:
Excellent photo examples and well written text
Well made pocket guide to rocks&minerals indigenous to arizona
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Pough has been making great guide for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. If you're into rocks and rockhounding, this book gives you plenty of information. It has color pictures and text book sections to help narrow down your searches by trekking you what to watch for in land formation. This book is arranged according to the mineral classifications, which is good if you know your minerals. It is small enough so it can be carried into the field.
The descriptions of minerals are very in-depth and good for those who understand what it's describing, but not so good for the layman. It is used to bird field guides and tree field guides. There are more photos and they are arranged by color.
Why We Like This:
Will come in handy for the avid explorer or for basic identification
Small enough to carry in a pocket
New, sturdy great quality, fast deliivery
Excellent book for serious rock hounds & geology students
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The pough guide to rock and mineral is capable of outshining several other guide featured in this list in overall features for the price point. This book is small, easily fits into your pocket, sturdy for its tall size, and filled with brilliant photos or examples with short descriptions as the pages go on. Even if you buy bigger, more complete rock and mineral guides, it is well written and gives an overview of geology you can read in a couple of hours. It is a quickie, but it is also a decent reference guide to the most common rocks, metals, and crystals.
This would be a great guide to the starting geologist or student hungering for a hobby. They are ideal for kids as they are small with lots of colorful pictures. The content is actually concise and easy to understand. This is a great starter book for kids and folks new to rock interest.
Why We Like This:
Useful for reference for middle schoolers
Illustrations are good and easy to understand descriptions