Rocks and Minerals, Jan 2000
To anyone interested in mineral taxonomy and nomenclature, whether from a professional viewpoint or from that of the amateur mineral collector, the advent of a new book correlating obsolete, foreign, local, or rejected names with those now accepted by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) must be welcomed with open arms. This work, an impressive volume designed as a companion to the recently published MAC special publication 1, Encyclopedia of Mineral Names, follows the same pattern as that book and contains an astounding thirty-five thousand entries cross-matched to their appropriate IMA designations.
A great deal of work went into this volume. The author's linguistic abilities include English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Chinese, and his researches were carded out in libraries around the world. The result, as the introduction states, is information that is intended for "private collectors, museum curators, researchers, and those in the gem trade...." That puts it squarely in the realm of the readership of Rocks & Minerals. In fact, it pretty much requires readership at the level of the knowledgeable amateur because, as outlined below, it is a text that needs some interpretation to reach its full potential.
The major section of the book is, as one might expect, an exhaustive alphabetical listing of "all names of material that could be or has been misconstrued as a mineral." Each entry begins with the synonym, varietal, or discredited name in question in normal typeface, followed by an equals sign, then the modern, accepted name in boldface type. Where there is additional information, such as the name of the person responsible for the synonym, it is added in parenthesis, usually accompanied by "of." For example, the entry for pecherz reads: "Pecherz = a) (of Karsten) Uraninite [Pitchblende], b) (of Hintze) impure Cuprite." Square brackets designate such things as other synonyms. Group names, such as Biotite, are both boldface and italicized. As far as the modern names are concerned, the book follows the IMA guidelines (Nickel and Grice 1998), although the author does prefer to capitalize mineral names.
In any research work of this nature, it is fair to say that there are bound to be some questionable calls. For the most part, the terms are relatively simple, such as "Blockite = Penroseite." That's where the true value of this volume lies. If an old label reads "Blockite," there's a pretty good chance that the mineral so designated is penroseite. At the same time, while the thirty-five thousand entries are unquestionably of immense value in determining names, there is no denying that a certain amount of interpretation may be required from time to time. For example, there are twenty-eight possibilities for "Bleispie[Beta]glanze." To determine precisely what is meant by that term for any particular specimen or label, therefore, implies that other knowledge must be brought into play. The precise meaning may have to be worked out by a process of elimination through knowledge of locality, association, paragenesis, or whatever other factors may be available. As long as that is well understood, this book can be used to great effect.
In compiling this listing, the author has had an impressive array of contacts with professionals. There is a preface by Dr. Hugo Strunz, recognizing the importance of the work as a helpful tool and quick reference. Acknowledged in the author's foreword are many others, including such notables as Dr. J. A. Mandarino, Dr. J. S. Coombs, Dr. Alexander P. Khomyakov, and the late Dr. Eugene Foord and Dr. Michael Fleischer.
Each new section or letter of the alphabet is headed by a fine black-and-white drawing of a mineral specimen executed by Russian mineralogist and artist Dr. Gregory Y. Ivanyuk, a researcher at the Geological Institute of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Apatity Murmansk Region).
The book is rounded off with a bibliography of journals and texts, among which appear most of the major works concerned with mineral nomenclature in one way or another.
It would be hard to overstress the usefulness of a book such as this. While other books, such as those by Egleston (A Catalogue of Minerals and Synonyms, 3d ed., 1892) and Clark (Hey's Mineral Index, 3d ed., 1993) certainly exist, they are either out of date, incomplete, or very expensive. This is a much needed volume providing up-to-date information at a good price. If I have emphasized some aspects requiring special consideration, it is merely to ensure that the reader is aware that there are few absolutes in the world of nomenclature. It is affordable enough for individuals and institutions alike and deserves a place on any serious collector's shelf.
-Quintin Wight
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