Rocks and Minerals; A Guide to Minerals, Gems, and Rocks

New York: Golden Press, 1957. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Good. Raymond Perlman. Format is approximately 4 inches by 6 inches. 160 pages. 400 Illustrations in cover. Index. Illustrated covers have some wear and soiling. This is one of the Golden Nature Guides. The topics covered include: Introduction, Seeing the Earth and its Rocks, Activities for Amateurs, Identifying Minerals, Metallic Minerals, Nonmetallic minerals, Gem minerals, Rock-forming minerals, Igneous Rocks, Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, Rocks in Daily Use, and More Information. Herbert Spencer Zim (July 12, 1909 - December 5, 1994) was a naturalist, author, editor and educator known as the founder (1945) and editor-in-chief of the Golden Guides series of nature books. Zim took his degrees (B.S. biologia, M.S. biologia, Ph.D. botanica) at Columbia University. Zim wrote or edited more than one hundred books on science, and in a thirty-year career teaching introduced laboratory instruction into elementary school science. He is best known as the founder in 1945 (and, for twenty-five years, editor in chief) of the Golden Guides, pocket-size introductions to such subjects as fossils, zoology, microscopy, rocks and minerals, trees, wildflowers, dinosaurs, navigation and more. He was the sole or co-author for many of the books, which were valued for their clarity, accuracy and attractive presentation—helped by the illustrations of Zim's friend Raymond Perlman. Paul R. Shaffer contributed to nature guides from Golden Guides and St. Martin's Press. Perlman was Professor Emeritus, School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana. His major projects included the illustrations in the Nature Guide Series. This 160 page book is an identification guide to only the most common kinds of rocks and minerals. This guide describes and illustrates their physical and chemical properties, their origin and the geological structures associated with them, their geologic and economic significance, and where and how to collect them. A handy pocket guide with accurate full-color illustrations. From common rocks such as granite and limestone to exotic crystals and minerals, this easy-to-use guide tells beginning "rock-hounds" all they need to know.