Gold!gold!

In short, this author has many years of experience and he backs it up with common sense, keep it simple - cost saving ideas for anyone wanting to learn more about gold prospecting. Chapter VI alone, titled "Nickel Knowledge" in my opinion, made the price of this book a bargain. The basic information on pages 94 & 95 on how to sort Gold by size and additionally explaining how the weight of Gold is always determined in "Troy Ounces" was instrumental in establishing a strong/solid base of knowledge to build onto about Gold Prospecting.

A real good entry level book with lots of good information on equipment, what to look for and how to start. A must read for all beginners!

I've been gold panning before a couple of times with my brother and, while I have found a little gold (and I do mean "little") thanks to his knowledge, I think our next outing will be more fruitful thanks to this book. The history of finding gold in California is also helpful since, as the author says, 75-85% of the gold remains undiscovered. I found the book helpful enough I'm planning on buying a copy for my brother.

Don't be fooled by the reviewer who (inadvertently?) gave this book zero stars. It is packed with great entry-level information on gold prospecting. Bravo Mr. Petralia!

The real gem of this book for the amatuer Gold Panner/Sluicer is how to "read" a river to pick the best place to start working instead of wasting fruitless months like I did panning in the wrong places and finding lots of black sand, but no "color."Other than that, the book is mainly a historical narrative of the Gold Rush in California with a brief introduction on one of the techniques for using a gold pan.