The Art of Collecting Meteorites (Kevin Kichinka, Book- masters, 2005, 232 pp., $21.95, paper; available at:
www.theartofcollectingmeteorites.com). Whenever I attend a major star party, after I visit the eyepiece and telescope vendors, I always wander over to the meteorite dealers. Although my spacerock stockpile is small, I treasure my meteorites and wonder about their histories whenever I hold them in my hands. My love for my rocks might be why I switched majors in college from astronomy to planetary science. When the time comes for me to expand my collection, I'll pick up The Art of Collecting Meteorites. Kevin Kichinka's self-published title is comprehensive to a fault and covers all the bases that newbie and even moderately experienced collectors need to know. Chapters include tips on identifying and finding meteorites in the field, helpful hints on ways to purchase and preserve space rocks, amusing anecdotes about collectors, and passages aimed at debunking meteorite myths. His book also contains short essays from some of the world's leading meteorite experts. Unfortunately, Kichinka assumes that his readers know far more about the mineralogy of meteors than most probably do. A little more handholding would have been appropriate, given that the book's purpose is to get people interested in the hobby. But there's enough good stuff in here to make up for the occasional rambling passage and jargon-filled description. (Review by DAVID TYTELL in Sky & Tel., Dec. 2005, p. 404, Books and Beyond) ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
