Crystals and Crystal Growing

Good book, but goes way too deep in theory for me. I just wanted a basic general book to learn how to grow crystals.

I first used this book in 1963 as a tutorial on crystal growingmethods. Not only did it provide step-by-step instructions thatactually worked, but it explained the physics of crystals and the process of crystallization in language that a high school student could easily understand. I used various salts to grow exquisitecrystals of different colors, obtaining most of my materials from local sources and my chemistry teacher. My experiments were performed in a depression under our house ... with a dirt floor. this was my "chemistry laboratory." The evaporation method produced cloudy crystals, so I reverted to the supersaturated technique to produce perfect specimens. My heating mantle consisted of a coffee can with a hole cut in it to insert a light bulb. This worked very well. Over the years I have frequently referred to this book and recommended it to others. I still do so. It is worth its weight in gold.

I've had this book for well over 20 years, and every couple of years I get it back out, re-read it and try a few new experiments. This book would be good for a child (with supervision) who is interested in cause-and-effects relations of science. Some simple crystal experiments may be carried out in hours, some take longer.Even an old engineer still enjoys this book!