Dana's New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana [Hardcover]

Richard V. Gaines (Author), H. Catherine W. Skinner (Author), Eugene E. Foord (Author), Brian Mason (Author), Abraham Rosenzweig (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471193100 | ISBN-13: 978-0471193104 | Publication Date: October 1997 | Edition: 8

Following in the tradition of the "System of Mineralogy" introduced by Wiley in 1837, this one-of-a-kind reference brings mineralogy into the 21st century. It describes all of the over 3700 recognized mineral species. New features include emphasis on mineral structure, presenting descriptions of all the important species. New specially commissioned structure diagrams describe all the important mineral groups. All homologous species are classified and all polymorphic forms identified. Compact and convenient in one volume, it offers exceptional coverage on where minerals can be found and accurate, up-to-date references.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Following in the tradition of the "System of Mineralogy" introduced by Wiley in 1837, this one-of-a-kind reference brings mineralogy into the 21st century. It describes all of the over 3700 recognized mineral species. New features include emphasis on mineral structure, presenting descriptions of all the important species. New specially commissioned structure diagrams describe all the important mineral groups. All homologous species are classified and all polymorphic forms identified. Compact and convenient in one volume, it offers exceptional coverage on where minerals can be found and accurate, up-to-date references.

From the Back Cover

First published in 1837, Dana's System of Mineralogy has remained the definitive reference on descriptive mineralogy for over 150 years and seven editions. Now, for the first time in half a century, comes a new edition of this undisputed classic--comprehensive, up to date, and ready to take mineralogy into the twenty-first century.

Dana's New Mineralogy, Eighth Edition describes, catalogs, and classifies the more than 3,000 mineral species currently recognized. Completely rewritten from the seventh edition, the material emphasizes mineral structure and is generously supplemented with unique, specially commissioned structural diagrams.

Coverage is carefully balanced, from substantial essays on important species such as calcite and groups such as the feldspars to more compact descriptions of rare minerals. Silicate minerals have been included for the first time, and are classified into homologous groups sharing a similar structure. Entries identify minerals by Dana classification number, name, and chemical formula. Descriptions contain crystallographic data and information on morphology, physical properties, composition, and relationships with other minerals.

The Eighth Edition also boasts extensive data on the locations of minerals worldwide, and offers instant access to the primary literature of the past half-century--including often difficult to locate sources from Eastern Europe and China. Extensive indexing makes it easy to find minerals based on proper, variant, regional, or common names.

Years in the making, Dana's New Mineralogy, Eighth Edition has been worth the wait. It will continue to be the chosen reference companion of mineralogists, mineral collectors, gemologists, and geologists, as well as chemists, physicists, and amateur enthusiasts of every description.

Dana's New Mineralogy classifies and describes the more than 3,000 mineral species currently recognized. Completely rewritten to keep pace with developments in mineralogy today, this Eighth Edition remains unrivaled as the definitive reference on the subject for professionals, students, and interested readers of every background.

Special features of this brand-new edition . . .
* Compact, convenient single-volume presentation of recognized minerals
* Detailed information on mineral structure, illustrated with numerous specially commissioned diagrams
* Classification of species into homologous groups sharing the same structure, coverage and cross-referencing of polymorphic forms, and more
* Description and classification of silicate minerals, included for the first time
* Exceptional coverage of locations of minerals worldwide
* Thousands of references, plus comprehensive indexing of minerals based on proper, variant, regional, and common names.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1872 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience; 8 edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471193100
• ISBN-13: 978-0471193104
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive, but FULL OF ERRORS, September 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dana's New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana (Hardcover)

This book is a must-have for any mineralogist, but the number of errors is daunting. I can find a minimum of 2 significant (or major) errors per page of text. The errors include spelling of mineral names, errors in chemical formulas, errors in physical properties, errors in locality names, errors in state abbreviations for the USA, omissions in the indices, etc.

I recommend waiting for the 2nd or 3rd edition to be printed to allow some of the more major errors to be corrected. Also, the pages are of such thin paper that text from the opposite side is readable. This book should actually be sold as a subscription on CD-ROM, with planned updates to implement corrections and additions.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Long-awaited reference needs work, August 31, 2000

By 

Robert J. Waidler (Virginia, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dana's New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana (Hardcover)

As a professional geologist, I use this reference often but I have found numerous errors. An example is that the mineral Pentlandite, an important ore of nickel, is not listed in the index. A German website is compiling an errata list on this book and it is many pages long of spelling, locality, formulae and indices errors. Other complaints are: The information concerning the economic use of the minerals is too sketchy and incomplete; and the page paper is too thin and fragile.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do yourself a favor - don't buy this book, May 5, 2004

By 

Professional Geologist (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dana's New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana (Hardcover)

I think the Danas would be embarrassed if they lived to see their name on the cover of this book - probably the worst compendium of mineralogical data in the history of science. Here, inaccuracies and errors are the norm rather than exception, and the quality of print and paper are no match even to a circa-1900 missionary's Bible. Sloppy sources like this one do more harm than good by perpetuating errors and introducing new ones, so do yourself a favor and spend your hard-earned $350 on something else.