Deals with the minerals of Cumbria, Co. Durham, Yorkshire, Cleveland and Northumberland. The book falls into five main headings: the geology of northern England; the mines and minerals; mining; collecting and collectors; the minerals - this is a gallery of whole and half page photographs of individual specimens, mainly held in the collection of the National History Museum, London or the Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. The specimens have been selected for the aesthetic appeal or for their scientific, historical or other interest. Each photograph is accompanied by a brief mineralogical or historical explanation
R F Syme is ex-keeper of mineralogy at the Natural History Museum; B Young is with the British Geological Survey, Edinburgh.
'In words and magnificent pictures, some historical black and white and others contemporary fine colour images, the authors tell the story of the mines and minerals. ... This really is a fine book, written by arguably the two best authors alive today in this field. What comes across is authority and accuracy, but in an accessible way. This is a book for the amateur and professional alike and will be of great interest to anyone in the area.' Down to Earth ' ... exceptionally well illustrated. ... The authors are to be commended for the sheer breadth of material selected for our viewing enjoyment.' Mineral News 'This is a truly glorious record of the splendid minerals that have been found in the north of England ... It would be difficult to find two more authoritative authors, and they have produced a volume that is a delight to both view and read, and all at an excellent price.' Mercian Geologist