Volume One in a series of Handbooks of Mineralogy

Work on the Handbook of Mineralogy book series began in 1980 with the goal to gather in convenient form the data crucial to identification of all mineral species and to provide relatively up-to-date ref­erences containing information central to the definition of each species. 

The intent was to pro­vide data sufficient to distinguish a species from all others. If additional information seemed desir­able, primary or secondary references were given for that mineral.  The Handbook presents data, not the background necessary to understand it.