Customer Reviews

Manual of Mineral Science

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great book for those who want a very in depth and comprehensive understanding of mineralogy. However, with no prior knowledge in chemistry or geology this book is very hard to understand. It is also very hard to read. It does not flow and is very analytical. It does have so very useful things though. It has a description and breakdown of most minerals and a great mineral index. If your serious and have prior background, get it.

I purchased this book, the 23rd edition, after having been forced to use the 19th edition of Hurlbut & Klein while a student at Baylor University. Most mineralogy Professors love to draw and derive axial ratios for all the mineral classes, and I was surprised to discover that axial ratios are not discussed to a great degree in this edition. I now know why my Mineralogy Professor lectured from MINERALOGY FOR STUDENTS (1981); a book I wish I had way back then (that guy loved to keep it hidden from view, and why he did not make it available to his students I will never understand). The figures and diagrams still leave much to be desired and the writing style is confussing, but not as bad as the 19th edition, and that useless symmetry content section is still in this edition. Other geologist told me that the book is an improvement on previous attempts, but after spending time reading the new book, my opion has not changed about this Mineralogy text book. This is the worst mineralogy text book that one can purchase. The authors just shifted a few things around, cleared up mistakes, redrew diagrams, and added/deleted a chapter or two. It is not a text book I recommend for the use in a mineralogy course. Can anyone tell me that there is a better book than MINERALOGY FOR STUDENTS by Battey and Ping?

This new edition has made several improvements over the last one. The organization is clearer and better prepared. This book provides a better explanation and more detailed examples than other books of this type. The CD is a great asset for readers in comprehending the heirarchy of crystal organization and provides better visualization of the three-dimensional aspects of the various crystal forms and structures.

As a geology college student, I found this book full of information but the presentation of that information was very confusing. I also found the lack of colored pictures annoying. When trying to learn different minerals color tends to help a little. Very short coverage of a few topics such as miller indices. I personally would love to find a better book then this.

This textbook is required for my Geology class. I found it very intuitive with a lot of detail illustrations, I will certainly learn well from this book at the end of the semester.

I like. :) I love. It's awesome. I need some more words to be able to submit this review, so there.

Comprehensive, lucid, well organized and illustrated, a very good introduction to mineralogy or a review for those like me who studied mineralogy long ago and have forgotten much of the crystallography.

This is one of the more user friendly textbooks I've owned. The tables in the back are clear and well defined.

The textbook was received in exactly the way in which it was described. The packaging ensured that it was completely safe in transit, and it was shipped very quickly (far before the assigned date). This was a very satisfying purchase.

I like reading this Manual of Mineralogy (Mineral Science 23rd edition.) It is easy reading for a scientist. It has some color pages of minerals; but most of the book is black and white prints of minerals. There is a lot of interesting material to read in this book. I have had an earlier edition too which I don't have with me now; so I ordered this 23rd edition.