60 Books Like Collecting Fluorescent Minerals

This is a book I have in my library because of its sheer virtuosity, and because it is such a mine of information about its subject. From what I gather, it took the author around a decade to write, and is applicable to the beginning jeweller, as well as to the seasoned diamond-cutter, or goldsmith. 

I like to have this book around, and reasonably close to me at all times, because it reminds me of what I ought to be. I sit my laptop on it, because the thickness of it (hardback, at over 800 pages) offers a comfortable height for my typing experience. Maybe one day - when I have the time, and the space - I will read it, from cover to cover, and digest it in all of its breathtaking detail. If, like me, you are a curious mix of art/chemistry/geology nerd, then this book is for… show more.

If Ernst Haeckel was the go-to microscopic illustrator of his time, then Karl Blossfeldt led the way, in early photomicrography. His beautiful, natural, black-and-white photographs are magnified only but a few times, but yet capture, in the sharpest of detail, that which we would not normally see. 

On researching this man a little more, I was interested to note that he (like myself) was also invested in inspiring artists to greater work; and that he believed that there was some benefit to be had, in appreciating the beauty of botanical life-forms. I would say, he had a point; it certainly didn’t do me, any harm, on my trek through the long journey that is art!

I had the great pleasure of meeting Michael Hickey at one of the RHS shows in London, at which I was exhibiting some of my botanical art; a thoroughly nice man, who sadly died soon after. I also met the personable and talented Coral Guest, the creator of the most exquisite botanical paintings, at the same show!

This is an excellent introduction to plant families for the beginner in botanical painting, focusing on 25 core plant families. It leaves out some of the technical botanical detail which would probably be included on an undergraduate botany course, but which would be confusing for the botanical painter who simply wanted to illustrate. It is clearly laid out, written, and illustrated; a must for plant artists, would-be botanists, and even medical herbalists - everywhere!

Dover (one of my favourite publishers) has the knack of knowing good art when they see it. This is one of my favourite books, slimline though it happens to be - showing the genius imagination, and fashion illustration, of “RT (his real initials)” at its most luscious. 

We’re treated to: the alphabet; numbers; playing cards; gems; and The Seasons - albeit, not in the forms you might think - but in the glorious, arresting, Art-Nouveau style that was Erte’s trademark. A feast for the eyes, and above all - just the sort of fun we need, to motivate us, in this day and age!

Ultraviolet Light and Fluorescent Minerals is also a pretty good read. It is a good general overview of the subject and nicely covers the field of fluorescent activators. It doesn't have many color photographs. It was written by 4 experts in the field including the late, great Thomas Warren (he passed away in 2001) who invented the portable SW mineral lamp. Another one of my favorite guys is Earl Verbeek. He is friendly and knows his rocks. He is the curator of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. That is the complete list of books on Fluorescent minerals, not including my two books.

Manny Robbins' second book on fluorescent minerals which came out in 1994. It sold for $49.95, but now appears to be out of print but still fairly easy to find. This is a much more technical read, but has good information.

This book describes the life of the author’s father who was fascinated by rocks. He wasn’t able to go to college and ended up running a filling station where he displayed his favorite rocks. He visited the local science museum to see its rocks whenever he could. He got a job as a janitor at the museum and, eventually, worked his way up to curator of mineralogy. A wonderful story of rock love and never giving up on a dream.

In the first half of the twentieth century, Russian botanist Nikolay Vavilov travelled the world collecting seeds representative of agricultural biodiversity.

In light of hunger and famine in the newly formed Soviet Union, Vavilov hoped to find and create hardy strains that could survive the Soviet climate and alleviate hunger. What he found, however, was not just the importance of saving seeds but also the cultural knowledge and traditions necessary for these seeds to flourish.

Nabhan’s retelling of Vavilov’s travels shows why simply maintaining a seed bank is not enough. Instead, we must also preserve traditional knowledge along with the seeds. To me, Vavilov’s quest reveals the importance of food democracy, that people maintain control of the foods they eat.

I was fascinated by the stunningly beautiful color photographs of 300 skulls, and I learned a lot from the accompanying brief descriptions of their animal owners’ skeletal anatomy, habitat, and behavior. From newts to cassowaries, seahorses to wombats, and hedgehogs to dolphins, the breadth of adaptations across the zoological realm is evident and worthy of appreciation.

I particularly liked the middle section where the author describes the skull’s iconography across cultures and through history along with its role in art. The book is on my coffee table and is always a conversation starter. 

This is one of my favourite novels about the imagined life of the 19th Century fossil enthusiast, Mary Anning.

Though poor and uneducated, Mary had a passion for dinosaur fossils, scouring the windswept Jurassic coast near Lyme Regis. She found fossils nobody else could, making discoveries that shook the scientific world. But science in the past was an almost entirely male-dominated arena, and Mary’s finds were effectively stolen from her, and she was ignored and forgotten in the scientific community.

Mary’s story is one of female hardship, endurance, and tenacity, and her contribution to our scientific knowledge deserves to be remembered.