by Thomas Weiland
Mineral Collections in Austria, published as a supplement to the November-December 2015 issue of the Mineralogical Record, presents a tour of the collections of 22 private collectors and two public museums in Austria. (A 22-page companion article in the associated Mineralogical Record issue describes the history and collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria.)
The book begins with a 5-page review of the history of mineral collecting in Austria, going back to the Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol (1529-1595) and continuing to the active collecting community there today. Each chapter thereafter has a portrait photo of a collector and a description of how he or she got started in mineral collecting, what kinds of specimens are preferred, what the selection criteria are, etc. The book concludes with a convenient list of other public mineral museums in Austria that one might want to visit.
Mineral Collections in Austria provides an interesting look at the centuries-old collecting culture in Austria, showing a gorgeous array of 270 specimens you would otherwise never get to see without arranging a personal visit to each collector’s house.