Books On Fluorescent Minerals

Below are descriptions covering new books we feel are of special interest to fluorescent mineral collectors. To review our complete list of mineral books, click here.

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NEW TITLE
“INTRODUCTION TO RADIOACTIVE MINERALS”, By Dr. Robert J. Lauf, 144 pages, 11” X 8 1/2”, soft cover, illustrated with 196 color, and b/w photos. Collectors have long admired uranium and thorium minerals for their brilliant colors, the intense ultraviolet fluorescence of many of them, and their rich variety of habits and associates. Radioactive minerals are also critically important as our source of nuclear energy. Understanding them is crucial to the safe disposal of radioactive waste.
This book provides a systematic overview of the mineralogy of uranium and thorium-bearing minerals, generously illustrated with nearly 200 color photos and electron micrographs of representative specimens. Dr. Lauf has also included an historical discussion of the discovery of radioactive elements and the development of uranium and thorium ore deposits, a discussion of the geochemical conditions that produce significant deposits, and a description of important localities, their geological setting and history.
Major occurrences of interest to mineral collectors are arranged geographically. The minerals are arranged systematically, to emphasize how they fit into chemical groups, and for each group several minerals are selected to illustrate their formation and general characteristics.
This book is an invaluable guide for mineral collectors, particularly those specializing in collecting fluorescent minerals. With the resurgence of interest in nuclear power, the book will also provide valuable information for nuclear scientists and engineers interested in radioactive deposits.
Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, PA, 2007.
ISBN: 9780764329128
Shipping weight: 3 pounds
Order Item BK0351
Price: $29.95

NEW TITLE
“COLLECTING FLUORESCENT MINERALS”, By Stuart Schneider, 192 pages, 8 1/2” X 11”, with 846 color photos on high quality glossy paper, pictorial soft cover. Since collecting fluorescent minerals is a visual experience, the author has dedicated an enormous amount of time to preparing the 846 color photographs in the book. Illustrations include several very interesting photographs of the mine dumps at both Franklin and Sterling Hill, however, he has featured more than 800 color photos of fluorescent mineral specimens in both daylight, as well as under shortwave and / or longwave ultraviolet. The first chapter covers tips on field collecting, definitions of some of the common terms used in collecting fluorescent and phosphorescent minerals, notes on crystallized and massive fluorescent minerals, and comments about the various ultraviolet lamps used in collecting fluorescent minerals. The second chapter contains information on important fluorescent mineral producing localities – Franklin / Sterling Hill, New Jersey, Mont St. Hilaire and Oka in Canada, the Purple Passion Mine and other localities in Yavapai County, Arizona, Balmat, New York, localities in California and Mexico, followed by information on several collecting localities in southern Greenland. Chapter three describes classic fluorescent minerals, i.e., minerals most often found represented in fluorescent mineral collections, and also gives information on collecting radioactive minerals. All of the above is in the first 31 pages! Chapter four, i.e., pages 32 through 189, contains the color illustrations – a fantastic collection of color photographs of fluorescent minerals illustrated in both daylight, as well as in either SW or LW UV. Several close-up photos are included, and a few examples illustrate phosphorescence or tenebrescence. Very important -- a color chart is included, covering the 28 basic, i.e., most often encountered fluorescent colors. Each color in the chart has a 1” X 1” square box with the color reproduced inside the box, and the word (like purple-blue) written inside the colored box. No more confusion about fluorescent colors! This handy chart will undoubtedly become a worldwide standard reference for collectors in the future. The final chapter includes information on collecting organizations, clubs, and museums where fluorescent mineral collections are on display, a list of mineral dealers, and a list of mineral lights and other supplies, followed with a brief section on mining collectibles. The index is very thorough, including the names of the minerals, as well as key localities where fluorescent minerals have been found. This book contains a wealth of information and should appeal to the beginner, as well as to the advanced collector. Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, PA, 2004.
Shipping weight: 3 pounds
Order Item BK0035
Price: $29.95

"FLUORESCENCE AND LUMINESCENCE IN MINERALS" - Edited by Wendell Wilson, 80 pages, 8 1/2 X 11" size, soft cover, illustrated with several color photographs of fluorescent minerals under both shortwave and longwave ultraviolet, plus many line drawings. This issue of the "Mineralogical Record" magazine features a 15 page article covering luminescence in minerals. The authors describe luminescence in general as the non-thermal emission of visible light by a substance. The focus of the article, as luminescence pertains to mineralogy, is the phenomenon known as photoluminescence, or fluorescence, demonstrated by various minerals when exposed to different wavelengths in the ultraviolet spectrum. This excellent article explains everything in terms which will enable the beginner to understand why minerals fluoresce. Those who have a solid scientific background in the study of luminescence in minerals will, no doubt, also be enlightened by the authors' in-depth presentation of their research into this phenomenon. Several classic worldwide localities for fluorescent minreals are also described. The second feature in this magazine is a 10 page summaryof the combined FM-MSA-TGMS-FMS Symposium covering fluorescence and luminescence in minerals, held at the February 1996 Tucson show. Fourteen abstracts covering a wide range of special topics dealing with the fluorescence and luminescence of minerals are outlined for the reader, and additional color photos of fluorescent mineral specimens are featured. Two articles covering non-fluorescent mineral subjects are included: "The Billie Mine in Death Valley, California", and "The Minerals of the Seravessa Marble, Tuscany, Italy". This magazine was published by the "Mineralogical Record, Inc., Tucson, AZ, as Volume 27, No. 1.
Shipping weight: 1 pound
Order Item: MR27-1
Price: $30.00 Temporarily out of stock

NEW TITLE
“MINERALS, FOSSILS, AND FLUORESCENTS OF ARIZONA”, by Neil R. Bearce, 10” X 7”, 401 pages, illustrated with many black & white photos, as well as color plates and maps to collecting sites, soft cover. From the author of “Minerals of Arizona” comes a new field guide for avid field collectors. Not an updated second edition, this is an entirely new, expanded guide designed not only for the mineral collector, but for fossil and fluorescent collectors as well. No other Arizona field collecting book features sections devoted entirely to fossils and fluorescent minerals. The field research for this book took more than three years, during which time the author traveled approximately 25,000 miles around the state, and visited more than 300 potential collecting sites. Included in the book are ninety collecting sites with photographs and topographic maps, with G.P.S. coordinates for each collecting location. Can it get any easier? A difficulty scale shows the effort required to explore each site! The book covers the basic science of studying and collecting minerals, fossils, and fluorescents. Geological formations at each site are noted, and properties are given of minerals found there. Twenty full-color photographs of specimens from Arizona were prepared especially for this new book by noted photographer Jeffrey Scovil. Published by the Arizona Desert Ice Press, Tempe, AZ, 2006.
Order Item BK-0422
Shipping weight: 3 pounds
Price: $29.95

NEW TITLE
“THE WORLD OF FLUORESCENT MINERALS”, by Stuart Schneider, 176 pages, 8 1/2” X 11”, with 846 color photos on high quality glossy paper, pictorial soft cover. The rich and diverse world of fluorescent minerals is explored in this sweeping survey. Breathtakingly pure colors, with their ethereal glow, immediately capture your attention. Did you know that color television is the result of the study of fluorescent minerals? New finds of fluorescent minerals are showing up regularly around the world, and collecting fluorescent minerals is an entertaining and popular pastime. To help the collector, the author has included 846 photos, displaying the minerals both as they might be found in daylight and in under the effects of ultraviolet light. Minerals from the United States (including New Jersey, Arizona, California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and many other states) and beautiful and unusual minerals from Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Italy, Sweden, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia, and many more countries are included. There is also a price guide to help beginning collectors get a feel for the current values of these incredible rocks and a source and references section to help you find mineral dealers, good mineral lights, and other helpful information. Written for the collector and the merely curious, this pictorial reference will enrich your collecting experience with its informative text. “The World of Fluorescent Minerals” is an essential source for enjoying and identifying fluorescent minerals. Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, PA, 2006.
Shipping weight: 3 pounds
Order Item BK-0615
Price: $29.95

Also by the same author: “Collecting Fluorescent Minerals”