Exploring and Mining Gems and Gold in the West
Author:  Fred Rynerson
Pages:  204
Dimensions:  8.56” x 5.56” x .5”
Publisher:  Naturegraph Publishers
Book Description: Gold and gems have fascinated men since time immemorial, and few men have hunted, mined and cut them over such a long and adventurous period of time as has Fred J. Rynerson.  For over fifty-two years he was on their trail, particularly as one of the chief characters in that fabulous and romantic period of California history when the great gem mines of San Diego County gave up their beautiful secrets.  Gold also lured him on exciting trips among the desert washes and hills along the Colorado River and north into the savage wilderness and rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
  Here is told in intimate and often humorous detail how treasures were found and lost, how rattlesnakes, desert thirst and road-destroying floods were met and conquered, and many another thrilling and sometimes violent encounter with nature or with man.  It is a tale attractively told of an era of western pioneering and adventure long past, but preserved in his book for your enjoyment and knowledge.  Within its pages you will enjoy numerous historical photos of the people and the landscape you are reading about.  The amateur prospector will find useful hints on how to locate valuable minerals and gems, the gemologist will deepen his understanding of the development of gem mining and of cutting and polishing techniques, while the lost treasure hunter will be able to add a few more prospective places to hunt for his dream of lost riches.  Fred J. Rynerson, one of the last of the great western prospectors and miners, passed away in 1960, but the sharp mind that saw both into human character and the hidden secrets of the earth, his wry wit and his bluff and keen enjoyment of the out-of-doors and the hunt for earth treasures, marches on with the words he has written for us here.

Gem Trails of Arizona
Author:  James R. Mitchell
Pages:  223
Dimensions:  9” x 6” x .5”
Publisher:  Gem Guides Book Co.
Book Description: Arizona is known the world over for the abundance and variety of its geological treasures.  In a landscape as diverse as the minerals themselves, this rich trove of gemstones can be found in sites ranging from arid desert to pine-covered peaks.
  Newly revised, the fourth edition of this best-selling guide contains the latest updates on the familiar sites, and features, twenty new locations for collecting rocks, minerals, crystals, and fossils.
  Highlights of this new edition include: Detailed test describing where to go and what to look for at each site; Maps for each site pinpointing the best supplies of specimens; Photographs depicting the collecting areas; A new glossary to help you identify your finds; A full-color photographic portfolio of spectacular Arizona gems.
  Filled with expert advice based on years of experience, Gem Trails of Arizona is an indispensable handbook for the rock hound who is just starting to explore the wealth of this colorful state.  The seasoned collector too will find this and invaluable reference with more than 90 collection sites.

The Anza-Borrego Desert Region, A Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert
Authors: Lowell & Diana Lindsay
Pages: 258
Dimensions: 9” x 6” x  .81”
Publisher: Wilderness Press
Book Description: This new edition of The Anza-Borrego Desert Region covers much more area than previous editions, reaching deep into the Colorado Desert of southern California, and drawing on the authors’ more than 20 years experience of exploring every hillock and wash of Californian’s largest state park.  While most described routes are on roads, good and bad, this unique book also takes the explorer to many, less-traveled secret places in wilderness area. This Book Includes: Comprehensive road and trail logs, including UTM coordinates; A foldout backpocket map, plus area maps in the book; An expanded Desert Directory – a useful listing of agencies, accommodations, and facilities in the region; and Colorful historical anecdotes and lots of interpretive details.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Anza-Borrego Foundation.