Magic of Minerals and Rocks

Hardcover  160pp,135 illus in colour  ISBN 3540210539      £38.00

Magic of Minerals and Rocks, featuring 135 splendid color photographs, ranges from vast rock-landscapes recorded in Europe, America, Australia, and Iceland right down to finely detailed images of a few square millimeters. Close-ups of crystals, gems, and fossils are alternated with micro-images of the minute textures and patterns that emerge from thin, translucent sections of rocks and minerals. Literally, as well as figuratively Dirk Wiersma, the photographer, 'zooms in' on the subject matter, leading the reader deeper into various spaces of surprising new forms and perspectives, at times abstract, at other times (pseudo)realistic. Often, striking similarities are revealed between subjects that are ostensibly of entirely different natures and dimensions. The short, accompanying texts are written in a style that is accessible and appealing to a general audience, while also providing the necessary factual information.