"Minerals of Britain and Ireland" is the title of a new book by Andy Tindle, Senior Project Officer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (published by Terra Publishing, Harpenden, 624 pp., www.terrapublishing.net). It represents the culmination of 13 years work and is a completely comprehensive treatment of the minerals found in Britain, Ireland and the surrounding islands.
Beautifully illustrated throughout with over 550 photographs, the book provides exhaustive coverage of the remarkably wide range of minerals found in this part of the world. It promises to be a standard reference work for many years to come and will be of particular value to collectors, museums and those working in the blossoming field of geodiversity.
The last time a book of this nature was attempted was in 1858 when R. P. Greg, and W. G. Lettsom published their "Manual of the mineralogy of Great Britain and Ireland". Since that time discoveries on these shores have risen sharply from 221 species in
1858 to 1046 reported in Andy’s book (which represents almost a quarter of the total number of species found worldwide). Many of the discoveries were made in the electron microprobe laboratory which Andy manages for the Science Faculty.
The book has been very favourably received by the mineralogical community and since publication Andy has been elected as a fellow of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and he has also become the recipient of a Russell Society medal."
