Glossy pictorial cover.Cover lightly scuffed, a little chipping on lower left corner of front flyleaf. Contents fine. An exhaustive work on the origin of the name of each known mineral species through 1996, arranged alphabetically. Includes three updates to bring the book current to 2002. Includes chemical formula, crystal structure, origin of each name (such as named after place or person or a physical trait). Historical information for many of the long established mineral names. 360 pages. A useful reference for mineralogists and collectors.