Minerals of Britain and Ireland

"Minerals of Britain and Ireland" is a completely comprehensive treatment of the minerals found in Britain, Ireland and the surrounding islands. Beautifully illustrated throughout with over 550 colour and black & white images, the book provides exhaustive coverage of the remarkably wide range of minerals found in this part of the world.By far the largest part of the book is the alphabetical listing of all the minerals described from Britain and Ireland. This includes species, varieties, synonyms, discredited minerals and fraudulent descriptions. The status of each mineral is clearly represented by distinctive formatting. All type localities are also described. The treatment is also enriched with biographical information on all those individuals who have had minerals named after them; it describes all the major mineral collections in national and local museums and university departments; and it summarizes the geological conditions in the major orefields that produced so many of the minerals."Minerals of Britain and Ireland" is replete with bibliographical references and it describes many additional discoveries never previously published. Coverage includes all relevant articles from national mineralogical organizations such as the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (from 1876) and the Russell Society (from 1982). Journals such as the "UK Journal of Mines and Minerals", "Mineralogical Record" and "Mineral Realm" are referred to extensively, as are many geological journals with mineralogical content.The last time a book of this type was attempted was 150 years ago, long before modern analytical instrumentation had been developed. Over 900 additional species new to Britain or Ireland have been described since that time. "Minerals of Britain and Ireland" covers in considerable detail the period 1858 to 2006, with particular emphasis on the last 50 years. In total, over 2200 minerals are listed, including over a thousand confirmed species.This monumental work will be warmly welcomed by the community of mineral collectors, curators, dealers, students and research scientists. Furthermore, archaeologists, environmentalists, mining historians, libraries, national heritage organizations and government agencies will also find much of value in this eagerly anticipated major work.