“MASTERPIECES OF THE MINERAL WORLD”, by Wendell E. Wilson and Joel A. Bartsch, with Mark Mauthner, 263 pages, 13” X 9 1/2”, including 150 illustrations in full color by Jeff Scovil, cloth bound.  The spectacular mineral specimens displayed in this outstanding book are from the collection of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  The theme of this book is to illustrate a group of 150 exquisite mineral specimens that are part of the Houston Museum’s collection, and to educate and inform both collectors of minerals and connoisseurs of natural beauty as to what makes mineral specimens so unique and desirable.   Avidly pursued by naturalists throughout the centuries, precious metals and gem crystals have a fascinating history.  Stories regarding the pursuit and discovery of the fine specimens illustrated in this book, including tales of good luck and hardship, are related in these pages.  Essays that explore connoisseurship in the mineral kingdom, and chronicle the history of this noble pursuit, add to the appeal of this unique volume.  In the chapter  “The Discerning Eye  -- What Makes a Mineral Collectible?”, the authors comment on the various criteria one might apply to a mineral specimen to judge its visual, economic, and scientific value.  Guidelines are given insofar as crystal form, color, transparency, luster, size, perfection, crystal orientation and grouping, aesthetics, provenance, associated species, rarity, and several other topics.  Each of the color plates occupies a full page and is accompanied by complete locality data, and brief comments about the specimen.  Following the color plates, there is a very informative and interesting chapter entitled “The Paths of Discovery, From the Mine to the Museum”.   In this section, the authors have condensed information about the localities from which each of the minerals was recovered, accompanied by comments about the mining history of each deposit, and its current status.  A small outline drawing of a world map pinpoints the area of the world where each specimen was found.  The color plates and text are arranged alphabetically, from Acanthite to Zoisite (Tanzanite).  Humans have probably been picking up and saving interesting bits of rock and mineral material since the Stone Age.  However, it was the Renaissance period that profoundly awakened public interest in Europe, and kindled a serious desire to learn about and collect natural mineral specimens.  The final chapter, covering “A Royal Passion” – A History of Aristocratic Mineral Collecting from the 16^th Century to the 20^th Centuries” chronicles, over the years and centuries, the prominence in society of mineral collecting as a hobby of kings, emperors, empresses, dukes and archdukes, princes, counts, and barons, as well as the rich entrepreneurs who wanted to show their mineral collections to others of the elite “rich and famous”.  Royalty naturally preferred the best, and over the centuries built some incredible collections that are today natural treasures in public museums in many countries.  Today, in the 21^st Century, building great mineral collections continues the same scholarly and ultimately philanthropic tradition that has existed since the days of Michaelangelo and DaVinci.  What is different, and what separates modern collectors from their early counterparts, is the vast mass of knowledge and literature built up over that time which is today available to any mineral collector.  Thousands of books and journals have been published and are easily accessible.  Millions of specimens are preserved for study in museums, and millions more are in private collections or are available for purchase from dealer stocks.  The study of the history of mineral collecting serves to remind modern collectors not only of their age-old traditions, but of how fortunate people are in modern times to have so may resources that were unavailable to the pioneers of mineral collecting.  Published by The Houston Museum of Natural Science and The Mineralogical Record, in association with H. N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York, 2004. 

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