An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals

An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, by William Alexander Deer, Robert Andrew Howie, and Jack Zussman, is a book often considered the "bible" of mineralogy. It covers hundreds of minerals, with details of their structure, chemistry, optical and physical properties, distinguishing features, and paragenesis. Entries range from one or two pages for obscure minerals, to dozens of pages for important ones like feldspars. The first edition was published in 1966, and a substantially expanded second edition in 1992. A third edition was published in 2013. It is intended as a reference book for undergraduate and postgraduate students.