Rockhounding Arizona [Paperback]

Gerry Blair (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rockhounding Series | Publication Date: December 1, 1995

Here are forests of petrified wood, veins of brilliant turquoise, and troves of facet-grade garnet, peridot, and amethyst-in all, more than 640 mineral species that make Arizona a rockhound's paradise. In Rockhounding Arizona, formerly The Rockhound's Guide to Arizona, expert rockhound Gerry Blair describes more than seventy of the state's best rockhounding areas, from jasper hunting in the historic mining district near Bagdad to searching for gold in the Superstition Mountains and digging for turquoise at the foot of the Hieroglyphic Range. This guidebook covers popular and commercial sites as well as numerous little-known sites. It also describes where to view mineral specimens and prehistoric artifacts at Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest national parks, as well as on tribal lands. Brimming with advice on collecting and preparing gems and minerals, this handy book also includes maps and directions to each site and directories to museums, rock shops, and major public land areas. For the beginner, Rockhounding Arizona offers a complete introduction to this many-faceted hobby. For the expert, it is an outstanding guide and source-book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Expert Gerry Blair describes more than seventy of the state's best rockhounding areas, from jasper hunting in the historic mining district near Bagdad to searching for gold in the Superstition Mountains and digging for turqoise at the foot of the Hieroglyphic Range. This guidebook covers popular and commercial sites as well as little-known sites. It also describes where to view mineral specimens and prehistoric artifacts at Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest national parks, as well as on tribal lands. Brimming with advice on collecting and preparing gems and minerals, this handy book also includes maps and directions to each site and directions to museums, rock shops, and major public land areas. For the beginner, Rockhounding Arizona offers a complete introduction to this many-faceted hobby. For the expert, it is an outstanding guide and source-book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Falcon (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560443898
• ISBN-13: 978-1560443896
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #923,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many off-limits sites, December 7, 2000

By 

Brian E. Jones "WolfSoul" (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rockhounding Arizona (Paperback)

While an excellent reference for what can be found where, this is not a good reference for what the public can actually get their hands on. Many of the (most interesting!) locations were listed as being closed to the public. In fact, 10 of the first 12 sites listed in the book are closed to collecting or have highly restricted access. This book says "You can look but you can't touch!". The book does get less restrictive towards the middle and end. There are definitely better books out there, including Minerals of Arizona by Neil Bearce and Gem Trails of Arizona by James Mitchell.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sites and good directions, February 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rockhounding Arizona (Paperback)

I tried five of the sites in the book and found the sites with little trouble based on the directions given. At each of the sites I found the mineral described in the book (often in great quantity). The book recommends tools to use at each site. An excellent book!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the new title fool you ...., January 6, 2001

By 

"sunshynnn" (Salem, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rockhounding Arizona (Paperback)

I was hugely disappointed to find that this book, "Rockhounding Arizona", by Gerry Blair (ISBN #1-56044-389-8, 1992 by Falcon Publishing) is simply a title and ISBN # change for the original book, "The Rockhound's Guide to Arizona" by the same author (ISBN #1-56044-161-5, 1992 by Falcon Press Publishing).

Amazon references a 1995 date for this book, but the inside cover reflects the copyright date of 1992.

I thought I would find updated information from the original guide, but instead found a replica of the book I already possessed, with an different picture on the cover and a different title. Very disappointing.