Maine Mineralogy Books For Sale

The History of Mount Mica was first published in 1895, by Augustus Choate Hamlin. The first printing was of 400 copies, but additional printings were performed with estimates of 800-1500 total books produced. The books were printed with a red, blue, or green colored, linen cover. The original volumes are exceedingly rare, highly coveted, and most that have survived are in private and institutional collections. All of the artwork and drawings were done by Dr. Hamlin.

The volumes available (on Rubellite Press) are reproduction reprints of the original book, recreated as close to the original as feasibly possible today. Unlike the original, acid free paper is used throughout, so the collector will be assured of its longevity and stability. Great care was taken on even the smallest detail. The text can be considered a companion book to The Tourmaline, also authored by Dr. Hamlin.

The History of Mount Mica contains greater details concerning the actual pockets and tourmaline specimens recovered during mining operations at Mount Mica by Dr. Hamlin. Actual specimens are chronicled in this book. The reader is also introduced once again to the notorious story of the discovery of this location. Hamlin’s charming writing style captures your attention and you will never forget how the first tourmaline was found at Mount Mica.

Dr. Hamlin has included in this book 44 color plates of tourmaline crystals he found at Mount Mica. These crystals were found while mining at this location prior to 1890. Dr. Hamlin is also the painter of these original images and we include one example here.

Additionally, black and white plates and diagrams are included, some of which detail the actual mining map of the mine during his tenure of operations.

This volume is a must for the serious student or collector in mineralogy. Whether you enjoy the historical, the scientific or gemological aspects of the field, you will love having this volume on your library shelf. Rubellite Press has taken great pleasure in bringing this treasure back to life!

The Tourmaline was first published in 1873 by Augusts Choate Hamlin with a limited production run of 200 plus copies. The majority of these were printed with a brownish-red cover, while a few were done in a dark blue and green. The original volumes are exceedingly rare, highly coveted, and most that have survived are in private in institutional collections.

The volumes available (on Rubellite Press) are reproduction reprints of the original book, recreated as close to the original as feasibly possible today. Unlike the original, acid free paper is used throughout, so the collector will be assured of its longevity and stability. Great care was even taken to have a tooling die created to emboss the cover similarly to the original. The Tourmaline can be considered a companion book to The History of Mount Mica, also authored by Dr. Hamlin.

Historically, this text is of major importance, as it is considered the first treatise on tourmaline in the United States. Dr. Hamlin details the known history of tourmaline and its known properties and locations up to 1873. Additionally, the reader is introduced for the first time to the notorious story of the discovery of the Mount Mica Mine in Paris, Maine; the world-famous tourmaline location. Hamlin’s charming writing style captures your attention and you will never forget how the first tourmaline was found at Mount Mica.

Dr. Hamlin has also included in his book four color images of tourmaline crystals he found at Mount Mica. These were found while mining at this location prior to 1873. These are the first color images every published of tourmaline in the

 United States, and the second time color images of tourmaline were ever printed historically. Dr. Hamlin is also the painter of these original images and we include one example here.

This volume is a must for the serious student or collector in mineralogy. Whether you enjoy the historical, the scientific or gemological aspects of the field, you will love having this volume on your library shelf. Rubellite Press has taken great pleasure in bringing this treasure back to life!

●  Maine Feldspar, Families, and Feuds -Oxford County Mining History

by: King, Vandall T.

Gemstones from Maine are well-known, but the lust for feldspar was also real, because it also meant money. There was never a huge profit in this mineral and tiny amount of money still created conflicts, predatory relationships between mills and workers, and sometimes tore apart families. There is more myth than fact in most reports of Maine mining. This book is a hardcore look at the Maine feldspar mining and the people who struggled to make a living from it. (Available at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum in Bethel)

This is the guidebook for the Maine Pegmatite Workshop and even though it is about pegmatites world-wide it is very applicable to Maine.

In the Summer of 1993, I and two friends found something, something astounding, something that changed the gemological history of the state of Maine, America and the world. On the last weekend in June of that year, we discovered the Fourth of July Amethyst Pocket on a small mountain in Western Maine. The full account has never been told until now.

This is the story of the largest gem discovery in Maine’s history, the tale of a most epic adventure and of the path through life that led to it. This is the full account of an incredible event, the stuff of dreams and legends, of fantasies literally come true.