Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy.: MELINDA DARBY DYAR and MICKEY E. GUNTER. Pp. 708. Mineralogical Society of America. 2008. ISBN 978-0-939950-81-2. Price members (MSA, Geochemical Society and Clay Minerals Society) US$67.50, non-members USD$90.00.

Abstract

This is a textbook aimed at university-level mineralogy classes, but professional geologists will find the book and its accompanying DVD-ROM to be a very enjoyable review. This reviewer agrees with the authors that the book is not just another book on the subject of mineralogy. The book is unique with respect to its repetitive approach to teaching mineralogical facts, inquiry-based introductions for each aspect of mineralogical subject matter, strong adherence to the explanation of both physical and optical properties of minerals as reflections of their atomic structures, discussion of many current industrial uses of minerals, and especially in the provision of an abundance of animated color images in the accompany DVD-ROM. This book has much to offer teachers, students, and other users of mineralogy. The book is superb in the use of modern teaching techniques, including inquiry-based teaching, spiral learning, concept maps, and repetition of important information. It is written mostly in student-friendly first-person case, and it is profusely illustrated by figures in the textbook and images on the DVD-ROM. The basic concepts of mineralogy are abundantly illustrated by analogies taken from common, everyday experiences with which students can readily relate. Examples include how the distributions …