This book is an excellent example of documentary photography of a people and way of life that is slowly (or quickly depending on where you live) passing from the American landscape. Builder Levy has a strong empathy for his subject and for the people he portrays in these marvelous b&w photographs. Buy and read this book (and share it with friends) if you have any interest at all in coal people and Appalachia.

There is, in every "Tribal "civilisation",a structure.
It is a basic structure.
There is no difference between ourselves(socially) and those of our latin american counter parts.
Except for ecconomic structure.

observado

A brilliant essay on the conflicts of man and his environment and how through our bout with nature it is difficult for us to see Nature has its own mind. Manly Hall explores, through various references of mineral, plant and animal texts, that these elements, or forces all have consciousness. If we are patient and observant, we are able to see that there is not only universal consciousness, but also individual consciousness. Manly Hall discloses other information on ritual practices, lores, simple observations, and ancient medicine. Short as this may be, one may feel compelled to dig deeper into the subject. One might check out anything by Christopher Bird, or perhaps some references given in the this text. Overall a great booklet, and really looks at nature in a new way allowing one to appreciate and possibly see the divine harmony in nature and how everthing, mineral, plant, animal and human are all interdependent.

The book "Introduction to Mineral Processing", by E G Kelly and D J Spottiswood, is still in print, although not through the original publisher. It is now available though the Australian Mineral Foundation, and they may be contacted at amf@amf.com.au

This book is an excellent resource for teaching children the fundamental principles governing rocks and minerals. Topics are clearly and simply explained with superb photographs. Some topics included are: crystal shapes; igneous rocks; moving plates; identifying minerals; erosion; what soil is made of; making fossils; rocks in space. The book also contains a number of terrific and fun experiments that are well thought out and easy to duplicate. These experiments give children excellent hands-on understanding of the growth and properties of rocks and minerals. The materials needed for the experiments are readily available. Some of the experiments include: testing for hardness; making a goniometer; making glass and bubbles; making conglomerate rocks.

I highly recommend this book to parents who are homeschooling their children as well as to parents who wish to offer more information to schoolchildren who are interested in this subject.

A cursory reading of this book should lay to rest any lingering prejudice that Kansas is a flat, boring state.

The book is well organized, and and easy to read, with a minimum of scientific jargon, and where such jargon is needed, it is defined clearly.

The photographs are clear, and color is employed where appropriate.

Several authors contributed to this book, and it starts off with a general introduction to the geology and various land features of Kansas.

The next three chapters cover rocks, minerals, and fossils, respectively. Throughout these three chapters, history, natural history, and geology are interwoven in a particularly interesting narrative that left me with a greater understanding of why Kansas is the way it is, and how the geological history and modern times are related.

The final chapter consists of a mile by mile description of the geology of Interstate 70 as it passes through the state. The descriptions of the various sedimentary beds one sees in the road cuts were clear enough that we could see the formations as we cruised by at highway speeds. Driving back to Missouri from Colorado was an interesting trip back in time from the Quaternary through the Pennsylvanian periods.

My only criticism of this book is that there are other major routes through the state, and it would be nice to see a more southern route as well as north-south route descibed. But then, that would be more in the area of the "Roadside Geology of ______" series. This book is not really in the same category as the Roadside Geology series, but it is useful, nonetheless, and gives a far more complete view of the overall geology of the state.

Keystone is the compendium of quality data on the coal industry, avidly used by United States and Canadian coal producers and other decision making groups in the coal industry.

Too bad this book remains out of print. It's the best single guidebook to minerals, rocks, and fossils ever made! Though pocket-sized (4.5 inches by 7.5 inches by 320 pages), the book is chock full of superb photographs, and the text describing each sample is accurate and comprehensive. Organization of the book is excellent, with minerals first, then rocks, then fossils. Within each of the main sections there's an introduction that defines key terms and provides a brief but clear summary of important concepts. I used to use this book when teaching an introductory geology course. I also used the Audubon Society's guide and several other widely-available guidebooks. None of those is as well-illustrated, or as well organized, as this book. I sure wish Larousse would put it back in print!

Stephen covers the birth of a gold and silver boom town from the first prospects with a gold pan in a freezing mountain stream to the discovery of silver in "worthless black sands" to the greatest modern mines in the world. He documents the joys and sorrows of the miners and their families, the riches made and lives lost. He covers the details of mining - from individual gold panning and sluicing to two-man candlestick lit tunnels to modern corporate production mines. He describes hand-drilling of rock with doublejack and steel and continues to today's compressed air drills. He documents the use of black powder, dynamite and modern explosives - and the risks and deaths caused by their misuse. He tells of burros, mules and electric haulage trains. He does this all from the viewpoint of someone who has been there and done that. He has prospected in freezing Alaskan streams and done hardrock mining beneath deserts and alpine meadows. Stephen knows mining inside and out - literally. This book is more than a history of one Colorado boom town, it is a history of Western hardrock mining and the men and women who loved, lived and died mining.