My Personal Library
Much of what I know about the subjects of rocks, minerals, geology, mining and rockhounding has come from books covering those topics. Over the years I have assembled what I believe to be a very respectable personal library of books related to rockhounding, minerals, geology, identification and mines. I would like to share all of these titles with you in hopes that it will aid you in building out your own private library.
Below are the different categories that make up my library. Click around, and I’m sure you will find something that interests you.
I’m constantly looking for new titles to read, so if you have any book suggestions for me, please email them to me at currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com.
Category | Titles | Last Updated |
Fossil Books | 5 | 2/13/23 |
Geology Books | 22 | 1/18/23 |
Lapidary & Collection Curation Books | 4 | 4/10/23 |
Mining Books | 11 | 1/20/23 |
Rock and Mineral Identification Books | 13 | 4/10/23 |
Rockhounding Books | 32 | 1/24/23 |
Specific Rock and Mineral Books | 17 | 11/24/23 |
The Mineralogical Record | 5 | 2/24/23 |
Miscellaneous Books and Magazines | 9 | 11/18/23 |
Top Picks
Overwhelmed by the list of books here? Here are some of my top picks that anyone can enjoy and learn from, regardless of location.
The Field Guide to Geology by David Lambert is a perfect starting point for someone who knows absolutely nothing about geology.
Gem Cutting: A Lapidary’s Manual by John Sinkankas is a very well-rounded book on the subject of lapidary.
Minerals of the World by Rudolf Duda is a large format textbook sized book, the layout is perfect, and it has all kinds of amazing charts in the back of the book to aid you in the identification process.
Field Collecting Gemstones and Minerals by John Sinkankas is a very useful book that nicely touches on all aspects of rockhounding and collection in the field, from basic geology to preparation and storage of your specimens.

