An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, 3rd ed., by William A. Deer, Robert A. Howie, and Jack Zussman. The Mineralogical Society, London. 498 pages; 2013; £45 plus shipping (softbound).

It is difficult to overstate the impact of the Rock-Forming Minerals Series on three generations of geologists and mineralogists. The original set of five volumes was published in 1962; the greatly...