A great book to have if you are looking for alternate or additional healing methods. I like that she not only focuses on herbs but on vitamin supplements and some old fashioned remedies that are still useful. The things the doctors don't tell you that you should be eating to help naturally fight your aches and pains before you head for the pills.

I find this to be a great reference guide when looking for basic information on herbal remedies.

A friend of mine recently got me interested in rockhounding and we went and purchased this book... Anyway, we went to a random site and the maps, although detailed with mileage, don't show distance to site from areas in california. Example, distance from Barstow to Ludlow? YOU have to go there to see the mileagle sign. Secondly, there needs to be better markers on where to turn for these dirt roads. A few sites were passed due to not being where they "should be". I really would hate to take some unmarked road for 10 miles only find it leads nowhere and then have a problem getting back. The lore and history of the sites was nice along with hints of how to dig or uncover rocks but the maps do leave a bit to be desired. Finally, and most annoyingly, all of the photos were black and white and of low quality. How can one tell what green jasper looks like with a black photo? Blooodstone? Rose quartz? This one portion of the book really was what made me not want to purchase my own copy. Maybe future editions will have better maps and at least a few color photos of the rocks,etc. Thanks for your time, Dean

This book really is solid. It's got some of the best information on everything you'll need to be right in the middle of all that this great big state of California has to offer. I have traveled to 14 sites so far, and almost all of them have been productive and well worth the trip. What I like most is the extra types of information given; like the best season to look for gems and minerals at a particular site, and the specific tools you'll need. Especially appreciated are the alternate maps that are recommended, like the USGS and the BLM, which match up right to the book. Way to go and thank you very much!

I found this book very useful in exploring the different sites in Utah. I have only been to a few sites but was not disappointed in the results. One should read the Forward/Intro section. It has good tips on the Utah and it's climate that literally could be a life saver.
The author has put a real effort in listing the different sites and given good directions. I like the site format including the elevation and the best time to collect. I used it to visit Utah in early March and petrified wood from sand creek. I have given the book a four star rating due to it's age. It was published in 1996 so it's seven years old at this writing. the Utah sites still seem to be intact compared to the sites in New Mexico and Colorado. As I have suggested in my other reviews I would like to see GPS Coordinates for Main turn offs and the initial starting points at a collecting site. The forest service/BLM has a habit of closing roads. and there are Vandals that deface signs right when you need them the most. I also use the GPS Data for mapping software at home before the trip. preplanning at home beats driving 10 miles of washboard and dust on the wrong road.

I found this book to be very helpful in finding rock-collecting sites in Utah. It has directions to the collecting sites, information about near by attractions, tools needed, elevations, driving conditions and best time of year to go. I use the book religiously when I'm out and about. I give it a 4 star rating, and could have been a 5 star rating had the pictures of the rock specimen been in color, instead of black and white =)

This would be a good book for ages 9-14 as it covers the basics only and in a format for the very young.

Easy to read. Lots of information. Great pictures. Well organized. ESL and Special Education students find this to be the most accessible book on Rocks and Minerals.

Dr. Belfield's book has been great in helping me understand the importance of vitamin C as well as a variety of other nutrients and antioxidants to help keep my cats healthy and strong. After reading his book, I ordered his Mega-C food supplement through a cat breeder friend of mine who is also using his wonderful products. His Mega-C has been useful in helping my cats recover rapidly from minor colds and sneezing.

This book was very influential in my formulating a diet for my Maine Coon cats. Dr. Belfield has adopted Dr. Pauling's ideas about orthomolecular medicine. The book is available directly from Dr. Belfield, www.belfield.com.

These earth science experiments demonstrate the properties of rocks and minerals and how they relate to important environmental concerns such as earthquakes, erosion, acid rain, and water pollution.

The experiments are a little more in-depth than some others I've seen, which would make them particularly useful for classroom or group situations. Even so, they don't require a lot of specialized equipment or supervision.

Each experiment includes a list of materials, detailed procedures, drawings, observational tips, topics for discussion as well as other similar experiments to try.

It contains a lot of thin-section photo of igneous rocks. By reading the atlas of igneous rocks, we can classify their rocks type. It is a very great book for studying igneous rock.

This book serves as an excellent companion to geology students in describing and identifying sedimentary rocks under a polarized microscope. The pictures are clear and colored. The descriptions are brief, but very informative.

Must admit that, as a mining engineer with 30 years experience, I was pleasantly surprised at the breadth of the book. Despite the nature of some of the topics addressed, it was not "dry" in tone.

The author provides a good flavor of the grassroots level mining activity of individuals of the period. Moreover he gave some unique insights of Depression-era government policy as it affected the larger mining industry, especially silver and gold. President Roosevelt's explicit desire to maintain the status quo with the federal mining law (to enhance mining employment) was one example. Another example was the historical review of hydraulic mining in California--both contemporaneously to the Depression as well as the 19th century.

On a holiday trip to Sequoia I picked up this book at a Bed and Breakfast to read up on the local geographical highlights of the region. This book was so easy to read and filled with historical facts, that I read half of the book in two nights. The author transmits the feelings an the thoughts of the historical figures in a way that makes you feel as if you where there in the late 1800's. This is an excellent book for a pre-hiking or pre-camping exploration of the Sequoia National Park Vicinity. Enjoy the reading!!