"Rock" in the New Year!

Interested in rocks, minerals, and gemstones? These books contain everything you need to know, as well as ideas for crafts, using rocks in gardens and landscaping, history, fossils, and more!

Updated November 24, 2025
F
Fond du Lac Public Library
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The hour of land : a personal topography of America's national parks
Williams, Terry Tempest.
Paper Book
America's national parks are breathing spaces in a world in which such spaces are steadily disappearing, which is why more than 300 million people visit the parks each year. Now Terry Tempest Williams, the author of the environmental classic Refuge and the beloved memoir When...

333.78 W675 2016

Cobalt : cradle of the demon metals, birth of a mining superpower
Angus, Charlie
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2023 Trillium Book Award The world is desperate for cobalt. It drives the proliferation of digital and clean technologies. But this "demon metal" has a horrific present and a troubled history. The modern search for cobalt has brought investors back to a small town...

338.2 Angus 2022

Dirty gold : the rise and fall of an international smuggling ring
Weaver, Jay (Journalist)
Paper Book
The explosive story of the illegal gold trade from South America, and the three Miami businessmen who got rich on it--until it all came crashing down.   In March of 2017, a team of federal agents arrested Juan Pablo Granda, Samer Barrage, and Renato Rodriguez,...

364.1336 Weaver 2021

Blood runs coal : the Yablonski murders and the battle for the United Mine Workers of America
Bradley, Mark A.
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Fact Crime The shocking assassination that catalyzed groundbreaking reform in Big Coal. In the early hours of New Year's Eve 1969, in the small soft coal mining borough of Clarksville, Pennsylvania, longtime trade...

364.1523 Yablonski Bradley 2020

The writing of the gods : the race to decode the Rosetta Stone
Dolnick, Edward
Paper Book
The fast-paced and "engrossing account" (The New York Times Book Review) of "one of the greatest breakthroughs in archaeological history" (The Christian Science Monitor): two rival geniuses in a race to decode the writing on one of the world's most famous documents--the...

493.1 Dolnick 2021

The Firefly guide to minerals, rocks & gems
Hochleitner, Rupert
Paper Book
Step-by-step Questions and Answers with detailed color photographs for easy identification. The Firefly Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Gems is designed for easy and reliable identification of minerals, gems and rocks. The identification process begins with the stone's streak color,...

549 Hochleitner 2019

A most improbable journey : a big history of our planet and ourselves
Alvarez, Walter
Paper Book
Big History, the field that integrates traditional historical scholarship with scientific insights to study the full sweep of our universe, has so far been the domain of historians. Famed geologist Walter Alvarez-best known for the "Impact Theory" explaining dinosaur extinction-has instead...

550 AL86 2016

The practical geologist
Dixon, Dougal.
Paper Book

550 D643 1992

A brief history of Earth : four billion years in eight chapters
Knoll, Andrew H.
Paper Book
Harvard's acclaimed geologist "charts Earth's history in accessible style" (AP) "A sublime chronicle of our planet." -Booklist, STARRED review How well do you know the ground beneath your feet  Odds are, where you're standing was once cooking...

551 Knoll 2021

Mountains of fire : the menace, meaning, and magic of volcanoes
Oppenheimer, Clive
Paper Book
Meeting with volcanoes around the world, a volcanologist interprets their messages for humankind.   In Mountains of Fire, Clive Oppenheimer invites readers to stand with him in the shadow of an active volcano. Whether he is scaling majestic summits,...

551.21 Oppenheimer 2023

The illustrated guide to rocks & minerals : how to find, identify and collect the world's most fascinating specimens, featuring over 800 stunning photographs and artworks
Farndon, John.
Paper Book
This is the ultimate photographic guide to the world of rocks and minerals, as well as how to build your own collection. An extensive introduction section describes the impact of factors such as time, weather and water erosion on the development of these substances, and the part played by natural...

552 F23 2015

Rocks and minerals : a photographic field guide
Pellant, Chris
Paper Book
Created in association with Smithsonian Institution, this authoritative guide features more than 500 rocks and minerals. Packed with photographs and details on characteristics, distinguishing features, and more, Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals makes identification easy. ...

552 P363r 2014

Dinosaurs rediscovered : the scientific revolution in paleontology
Benton, M. J.
Paper Book
Over the past twenty years, the study of dinosaurs has transformed into a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the color of dinosaurs, the force of their bite, their top...

567.9 Benton 2019

Fossil men : the quest for the oldest skeleton and the origins of humankind
Pattison, Kermit
Paper Book
"Riveting. ... Pattison's uncanny ability [is] to write evocatively about science. ... In this, he is every bit as good as the best scientist writers." --New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)  "Brilliant. ... A work of staggering depth." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

569.9 Pattison 2020

Rock gardening : reimagining a classic style
Tychonievich, Joseph
Paper Book
AHS Book Award winner   Rock gardening --the art of growing alpines and other miniature plants in the company of rocks in order to recreate the look of a rugged mountaintop--has been surging in popularity. Time and space constraints, chronic drought in...

635.9672 Tychonievich 2016

Flowstones : beautiful creations from polymer clay
Goldin, Amy
Paper Book
Conceived of by artist Amy Goldin, "flowstones" are crafted by molding a sheet of polymer clay around a smooth river rock. They impart a sense of calm to the holder, grounded by the weight and soothed by the smooth surface. Each stone's unique shape and pattern gives it a beauty all its own. ...

745.5723 Goldin 2018

Stonehenge : a new understanding : solving the mysteries of the greatest stone age monument
Parker Pearson, Michael
Paper Book
Stonehenge stands as an enduring link to our prehistoric ancestors, yet the secrets it has guarded for thousands of years have long eluded us. Until now, the millions of enthusiasts who flock to the iconic site have made do with mere speculation--about Stonehenge's celestial significance,...

936.2 P229 2013

Stampede : gold fever and disaster in the Klondike
Castner, Brian
Paper Book
A gripping and wholly original account of the epic human tragedy that was the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. One hundred thousand men and women rushed heedlessly north to make their fortunes; very few did, but many thousands of them died in the attempt. In 1897, the United...

971.91 Castner 2021

Jungle of stone : the true story of two men, their extraordinary journey, and the discovery of the lost civilization of the Maya
Carlsen, William
Paper Book
The acclaimed chronicle of the discovery of the legendary lost civilization of the Maya. Includes the history of the major Maya sites, including Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tuloom, Copan, and more. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Illustrated with a map and more than 100 images. ...

972.81 C197 2016


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