The Rockhounding Encyclopedia: The Gem Hunter’s Guide to Identifying and Collecting Over 100 Unique Gemstones, Minerals, Fossils & Geodes | Featuring America’s Top 500 Rockhounding Sites

It's an excellent resource to have on hand

I found this book entertaining and informative. It provides a nice balance of information on how to identify various rocks, their characteristics, and where they are commonly found. Photos of rocks are included, along with a little history of how some rocks are used in industry. For people like me who are only slightly versed in the study of geology, it was interesting to read about how the rocks were formed. In Chapter 9 there was an explanation of how this can be relevant when out in the field looking for interesting rocks. By having an understanding of how they are formed, you can take a step back, evaluate the surroundings, and identify possible locations for the various types of rocks. Chapter 11 includes information on a state-by-state basis on what type of rocks can be found. GPS location information is also included. The last chapter in the book includes a helpful discussion on tools and safety items that you should have with you when rockhounding. The author commented that 'Rockhounding is more than a hobby - it's a journey of the heart and mind', and 'Rockinhounding is the thrill of the hunt and the adventure'! I agree :-)

its a pore reference there is a location in Kansas this book calls a spot for blue stone that is a joke. The GPS puts you in the center of a town on the square of a park that has a large rock called the Blue Stone . thought the author put a joke spot in it as a dry hummer joke

Some great information in this book I think it would be a lot of help out in the field while looking for new rocks.

Very nice. Grandson loved it

The Rock Hounding encyclopedia is a great book for both beginners and those who have been rock hounding for years. It has a good intro with background on what rockhounding is and background knowledge on different rock formations and how they form. Additionally it has an extensive collection of images, descriptions and more of rocks and minerals to help with identification and general knowledge expansion. Finally if you live in or are planning to visit the US this is the book for you! This book provides hundreds of fantastic rock hounding sites across the United States to explore. No matter where you live or are visiting this book will help you find the perfect rock hounding site for you!

If you want a book to just Identify gemstones, minerals and rocks then buy the National Geographic pocket guide for $15 USD, If you are looking for places across the US to go rockhounding then spend the $35 and get this book, lots of info in here.

I am a professed rockhound, but even if you are not one, recommend this book as it is very informative. The descriptions, pictures and where each type of rock can be found was explained and included interesting information to know. The author also tells some interesting facts about the low and high quality to look for if you are interested or just looking to purchase a finished stone for jewelry etc. I especially liked the state-by-state listing of what can be found and where they are, even listing the specific longitudinal directions for each spot. This is a well written, easy to understand and read book. I will be using it as a resource for my next rock hunting adventure.

We are rockhounders, very good source of information Easy to read & understand Recommend to add to anyone's library Thank you

Il libro è in inglese quindi potrebbe risultare non semplice per tutti, ma in realtà è scritto in maniera molto semplice e quindi facilmente comprensibile, magari con l'aiuto di un dizionario italiano inglese. Si fa una generale introduzione all'hobby del collezionista di minerali, riportando anche delle foto abbastanza carine di una selezione di essi (i più comuni). Riporta anche un elenco di siti dove trovarlo, purtroppo solo americani, ma è comunque interessante, per gli appassionati della materia, conoscere queste informazioni.

This book is very interesting and very informative. Everything you ever wanted to know about Rockhounding is in this book.

Brilliant informative interesting book 👍

This is not an encyclopedia. It’s like an outdated, poorly edited, magazine. « Expansive directories of top rock hounding sites across continents »… I was sold to this claim, but it’s a complete joke: it mentions a few sites on the last two-three pages of the magazine : one place in Germany, one place in France, etc. Terrible. Don’t buy this crap.