Book Review

…Minerals are celebrated in their own right: one sample of magnificent columns and points, tourmaline and quartz growing on one matrix, open the book, and intriguing multicolored tourmalines have a page of their own as well. The book does not forget homelier crystals, ice and aspirin…though gemstones and museum specimens clearly steal the vivid show….This is one excellent member of a long stream of one-design books, each leading a young reader to follow its broad theme through a surrogate museum. Spread after spread bears a montage of related images, in sharp color on a white ground with a concise text for each picture, like the labels in a museum case…

~ Philip and Phylis Morrison, Scientific American excerpt

Crystal & Gem has attractive illustrations and interesting details, including information about the cultural and artistic uses of crystals and gems. This is not a field guide and does not pretend to have comprehensive coverage, but instead is an enjoyable introduction to the topic.

~ Peter Lea, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geology, Bowdoin College

A visual feast, Crystal & Gem provides a fascinating range of solid information about crystals and gems in an appealing format. Young and old readers vote with their feet and this book is constantly checked out of the library.

~ Linda Oliver, Reference Librarian, Curtis Memorial Library