FOR NEW & EXPERIENCED ROCKHOUNDS

What’s that rock you just picked up?

Know where to look, how to test what you find, and which specimens are worth a closer look. A full-color guide for your first outing or your next collecting trip.

Rockhounding for Beginners
By Stephen J. Milton

Get the paperback on Amazon

Full color · 206 pages · Paperback

See sample pages

ROCKS, MINERALS, GEMS & FOSSILS

Cover of Rockhounding for Beginners by Stephen J. Milton, color edition

THE COLORedition

STEPHEN J. MILTON Rockhounding for Beginners

140Minerals, rocks,
gems & fossils

100Collecting sites
across America

10Field tests for
identifying finds

Full colorReference pages
for identifying finds

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

What to know before
your next trip.

Work through the 15 chapters from the start, or turn straight to the section you need. There’s practical advice for your first outing and reference material to come back to as you collect.

01 / FIND A GOOD SPOT

Choose where to look.

Explore 100 collecting sites across America and learn to recognize promising ground of your own. Find out what to check about safety, access, and permission before you go.

02 / IDENTIFY YOUR FIND

Test more than its color.

Check hardness with everyday objects, use luster to narrow down the possibilities, and work through 10 field tests to help identify what you’ve found.

03 / CARE FOR YOUR COLLECTION

Know what to do with it.

Clean, label, and store your specimens so you remember what they are and where you found them. Get an introduction to tumbling and lapidary if you’d like to try polishing or working with your finds.

A few pages from the book

Actual pages 76 and 77 showing illustrated luster types, the Mohs hardness scale with common testing objects, and practical scratch-test guidance.

Identification & field testsPages 76–77

Pages 44 and 45 show a Southwest collecting map and site descriptions with location and access information for Arizona and New Mexico.

Collecting sitesPages 44–45

Fossil reference pages 148 and 149, with photographs and identifying features of gastropods, bivalves, bryozoans, echinoids, and graptolites.

Fossil identificationPages 148–149

BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT

About the book

Who it’s for, what it covers,
and where to get a copy.

Is this book right for a complete beginner?

Yes. The early chapters help you prepare for an outing, choose useful equipment without buying more than you need, and start examining and identifying your finds.

Is it useful if I already collect rocks?

Yes. More experienced collectors can turn to the site suggestions, identification sections, and specimen-care guidance as needed. The geological glossary, resource directory, specimen labels, and index are also there to use as your collection grows.

What places does it cover?

The book focuses on America and includes 100 collecting sites organized by region.

Is the paperback in full color?

Yes, this is the color edition.

Where do I buy it?

On Amazon.

PLAN YOUR NEXT ROCKHOUNDING TRIP

Head out knowing
what to look for.