by W. E. Wilson and T. P. Moore

Mineral Collections in Texas, published as a supplement to the September-October 2014 issue of the Mineralogical Record, is a new and larger sequel to the original Private Mineral Collections in Texas (2009). At 304 pages it is the largest Mineralogical Record supplement or issue ever published, containing over 800 gorgeous photos of superb mineral specimens in private Texas collections. These are specimens that most collectors would never get to see unless they happened to be personal friends with the 68 Texas collectors whose minerals are featured.

The book begins with “A Brief History of Mineral Collecting in Texas,” recounting some of the most famous collectors and dealers who operated in Texas as early as 1889. Mineralogical societies and Texas mineral museums are also discussed. Then follows the main body of the work: individual chapters on each collector or couple, with biographical notes on their collecting orientations and philosophies, and pictures of their specimen.

Mineral Collections in Texas, especially when considered in tandem with the 2009 Private Mineral Collections in Texas, is by far the most detailed documentation of mineral specimens held by private individuals in any geographical area in the Western Hemisphere and probably the world.