Rocks and Minerals: A Guide to Field Identification

by Herbert S. Zim, Paul R. Shaffer

A guide to identification of marine plant and animal life along 88,600 miles of tidal shoreline of the United States.

Genres: Reference, Science, Nonfiction, Geology, Nature, Field Guides, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Herbert Spencer Zim (July 12, 1909 – December 5, 1994) was a naturalist, author, editor and educator best known as the founder (1945) and editor-in-chief of the Golden Guides series of nature books.

Reviews

[H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zim was one of the first who met the needs of everyday people who had an interest in practical science. If you wanted to learn more about bugs or marine mammals or rocks there was a Golden Guide to make it easy.

It is probably unnecessary to state that rocks and minerals haven’t changed much since literate humans have come onto the stage. This book is still one of the easiest to slip into a small pocket or backpack and provides most of what a casual hiker with an interest in the subject would need to identify rocks or the minerals they contain.

The color drawings may be a little dated but are very helpful and the text is spot on whether you are hunting for opals or just want to know more about igneous rocks and how they got to the surface. Zim also includes information on the uses of many minerals. As you might guess, I find it a great book to keep by the bedside for a bit of info just before turning out the light.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book as a kid, and continually read and viewed it. I did collect rocks, as well as shells. I remember even buying some particularly pretty rocks with my allowance, the kinds I never would have found in my searches. I do own this book, but given the state of my real world shelves, I’ll have to hunt it down. I’d love to take a look at this again. I have many fond memories of time spent with it. I’m rating based on the enjoyment I got pouring over this book when I was young; I haven’t really looked at it in many decades.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to spend hours poring over this book when I was little, drawn to the awesome cover - that big ole pickaxe and the chunks of sparkly rocks. Thank you, Golden Nature Guides!

The later covers just don't have the same magic.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books as a kid.

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like others, my positive feelings about this little book are based in my childhood interest in collecting rocks. Re-reading it now, I'm struck by the amount of technical detail--about chemistry, for example--that would probably be over the heads of a lot of kids. Plate tectonics is strikingly absent, because it was an emerging concept at the time the book was published (1957). There are all those references to using flames and blowpipes, but almost no safety warnings. Today, there would be a whole chapter on goggles, gloves, and fume hoods. Other such details include expectations for nuclear power and the usefulness of asbestos. There is a prediction that oil shales will be an important source of oil once the easy sources have been depleted. In the section on limestones, an observation is made about the relationships between carbon dioxide and "climatic change." All in all, this book is quite informative and cannot be blamed for reflecting its time or being superseded by the passage of six decades.

[Patrick Meehan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though advanced for its time, this book is now a fossil itself. The rock collector will appreciate and perhaps enjoy the illustrations and hopelessly outdated prognostications and science that this identifier book contains. One should not use it, however, for identifying rocks and minerals. Doing so would be akin to trying to identify birds using Audobon's original illustrated bird guide.

However, this guide is comprehensive enough for the amateur collector to identify, if skillful enough, the vast majority of rocks and minerals they are likely to encounter in the field.

This guide pre-supposes the reader already collects and has a basic understanding of geology and specific familiarity with collecting techniques. A bit of chemistry helps too!

Hobbyists only: it will only bore others.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful guide to rocks and minerals. It offers some of the most incredible illustrations of crystals I’ve ever seen. It’s chalked full of information and even has charts of where in the US to find certain minerals. To this day, it’s still my main tool for crystal identification. I have the paperback edition, which is pocket sized, for the mineral hunter on the go. This book is truly a useful resource that I am proud to have in my collection.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as a kid; this and a plant book were my regular go-to reads, as I hunted for interesting rocks in creeks, lakesides, beaches, trails, etc. I'm now to the age where I'm downsizing, but this book stays with me.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introductory guide to geology and gem and mineral hunting. This isn't going to give you the path to finding your own precious gems, but it gives you a basic understanding of the geologic science behind it.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nostalgic high level overview of the science behind rocks and minerals. This will not set you up with information on how to find particular rocks or gems, but is a nice and simple read for the science nerd.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 Hands down, this is one of those reference books that was wildly useful to me in school and beyond. The information, along with the illustrations, are excellent.

📕Published — 1957.
🎨Illustrated.

📖 Book version.
༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and suitable for young readers. Some commentary is outdated, and chief references are to locations in the United States. Still, very good.

[Deidre D. Doran]

I used this for my homeschool science class for my son. It helped with identification.

[Steve LaForest]

Read ~1969 - 1970, date approx.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this as a kid, and still enjoy this as an adult. Rocks rock 🪨 and this book always makes it easy and interesting to dig into the topic.

[Betsy]

These books are beautifully vintage now and a pleasure to read! The information is quite concise and written for a wide audience of lay persons...which includes me :-)
I have unearthed a trove of my old "Golden Nature Guides"- of which there are many -and am enjoying not only the information which I can understand w/o falling asleep, but the entire vintage format and illustrations throughout.
What a find! Snap them up now before people catch on to their vintage value!

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started my fascination with minerals and chemistry. I spent many hours reading this book in my room waiting to go collect rocks as a kid.

My dad bought me this book on a vacation and it might have boon the best investment in my future that he ever made.

The information in the book is dated but the drawings and pictures helped me have a better understanding and appreciation for mineralogy and gemology.

[Cb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a VERY old edition of this book from when I used to collect rocks as a kid!

[Cws]

J549Zim

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic version of this book. I remember reading this as a kid when my dad owned it.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zim classifies rocks and minerals in an easy to understand book that is intended for the layman.

[Saleris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice little book that I've had since a little girl. Lovely life drawings.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had these as a younger teen, and they are really packed with information.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very informational, but dated, given how old it is. Particularly on the uses of different minerals, such as Asbestos.

[Foxtower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic, and not nearly as helpful as more complex and comprehensive guideboooks, but a fun little book for a quick reference.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade: 3-5
Topic: Rocks and minerals

[Edithl6 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not like it because you learn from it :-/

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

[Jacob Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

most amazing rocks and minerals book I have ever read in my life

[Berk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally Useful for field trips (approved) and very clear to understand!