Geology books rock! (Geology Books in general)

Member Name: LoolooMe

Product:	Geology Books in general
Date:	31/07/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wide range of subjects and levels

Disadvantages: Expensive and not always in store.

I am a geologist (it's official I have the certificate!), so I have read a fair amount of geology books. What amazes me though is the range of levels and subjects.

The levels covers novices to experts:
For example "Geology of Castleton" by Ford covers the depositional environment of Castleton so he writes what the rocks are, how they were formed and where to find them. This is perfect for anyone with a slight interest in geology, but who doesn't have any knowledge. Then of cource the books range up to the very particular, where you have to know the jargon such as "Global Sedimentology of the Ocean, Volume 3: An Interplay between Geodynamics and Paleoenvironment (Developments in Marine Geology)" by Roberts - and if you feel yourself getting bored by the title then you know this isn't the book for you.

Basically I would place geology books into 5 levels.
1- Basic knowledge books. Contains no jargon or the jargon is explained. Has interesting pictures. Doesn't concern it's self with too much detail. Takes everything it tells you as fact, no questioning. These basic knowledge are often hidden within bigger textbooks, rambellers guides or you find a small chapter in strange weird little books.

2 -Amateur. This will assume a very basic knowledge level from the reader. So if you know what the words bed, dip, clevage, fluvial mean then there is a good chance you will understand this type. These often advertise themselves as being for amateurs, and are generally thin books, but usually overpriced.

3. Knowledge grasping books. These are you textbooks and dictionaries that explain everything. They are a must to have if you are a student (buy one in your first year), or if you want to improve your knowledge and
progress.

4. Student knowhow. These are the text books which can only be understood by someone with a basic level of geology knowledge. They are designed to educate the student by giving them the broad outlines. THese are often the cource related books.

5. Expert. Usually scientific papers in which a firm grasp of geology is needed before you embark on reading them. They present their data, methods and interpretation and it is up the to reader to value the work. They will not teach the reader anything, but will add to the knowledge already aquired. In book form these are very thick books.

*Reccomended books*
Now that you have identified your level I have made a small list for which books to search for.

Level 1.
"THE SHAPING OF THE ISLE OF WHITE" Bird, (1997).
"Geologists' Association Guides: Castleton Area, Derbyshire No. 56" Ford, (1996).

Level 2.
"Bare Bones Geology: For the Geologically Challenged" Cvancara (2003).
"The Amateur Geologist: Explorations and Investigations (An Amateur Science Book)" Wiggers (1993).

Level 3.
"Geology (Collins Dictionary)" Lapidus (2000) - Any Geology Dictionary.
"Foundations of structural geology" Park (1989)

Level 4.
"Sedimentology and Sedimentary Basins" Leeder (1999)
"Engineering geology" Bell (1993)

Level 5.
"Ophiolites, arcs, and batholiths : a tribute to Cliff Hopson" Wright (2008)
"Lithostratigraphy of the Schelem Formation" Bosch (2007).

Comment on the levels. There are very few books for my level 1, so if you are interested in geology my tip to you would be to select a basic textbook or a geology book for beginners (Level 2), team it with a book set out to explain everything (level 3) and plough your way through.


Range.
People simply don't realise the range within geology so if you are a geologist you will also have a basic knowledge of: Zoology, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Fluid Flow, Physics, Climate change patterns, weather systems, all of the cycles (Water, CO2, rock), economics, engineering.. well the list goes on.

Based on my levels then level 1 is not effected by the range as it's only small. But beyond that all of the other levels are. So you will find that if you change or start specilising into a specific subject say Economical Geology, although you might be at level 5 in general geology, you will need to go right back to level 3 to build up your knowledge of economic geology.

Price.
Obviously all books cost a different amount. On the whole like most knowledge books geology books are very expensive (Ie £50 for a text book). They appear to be cheaper in America, but way most expensive in Australia, with UK being about the middle. The higher the level (See levels above) the more expensive the book.

My suggestion is if you need it for study then find it in the library. If you find that you need it a lot then buy it second hand. If like me you love having books then slowly build up your collection and I always get it out of the library first and then if I find I read it a lot I buy it.

Best place to buy from.
- For textbooks ebay/amazon/notice boards. Students always need cash and will have text books that they need to sell as they only used them for a year.
-Other books. Try ebay/amazon first, but then try the specialist bookshops for education eg Blackwells or a uni bookshop. If not the very large shops eg. Boarders and Waterstones will be able to order it, but it may take sometime. Some of the books are very good although out of print as so old and so the publisher normally waits until it has a set order before printing off a run. Moral of the story, if you need it in a rush be prepare to yell and shout until you have it, best to plan ahead.

Summary: If you have an interest in it, then go for it and expand your horizons.