Post by elementary on Jan 4, 2012 1:49:04 GMT -5
The American Agate/Jasper Index
2nd Edition Update
The Index is undergoing a massive revision at present. It’s been almost two years since the first volumes came out and I’ve learned much on what works and what doesn’t. I have already gathered images from a number of new sources and the quality of images should be increased tremendously. But there are more fundamental changes in the works:
1) The new edition is gathering more states together in each volume. Volume One will cover Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. I’m in the middle of editing it and it has already reached over 150 pages of material. The side effect of this effort is that the files are much larger than before. Previously the largest files reached 20 MB. The new volumes will be over double this.
2) The new edition no longer divides material by state. Instead it gathers all related material in a region together by type for easier reference. For example, all the thundereggs in Volume One will be listed together. Dugway Geodes from Utah will be listed in the same section as Baker Eggs from New Mexico. This will help with identification of material as it means the reader doesn’t need to bounce between states to match a specimen to the photos.
3) There will be a long index at the end of each volume that lists the contents by state and by location. This will help people who are using the index to research the type of material found at a specific location.
4) There is a special volume that will be an overall index to the entire series. In addition to this, it will provide a visual glossary to the various types of agates and jaspers covered in the series so newer people to this hobby will be able to use it without too much trouble. Mel Hixson has written the definitions so you know they will be accurate.
5) There will be a list of missing material in each volume so collectors can know what they can provide to update the index. For example, at present, Volume One is missing Del Norte Thundereggs from Colorado as well as Mulligan Peak agates from Arizona.
6) In the previous series, I mentioned that we were hoping to produce a white background version of this series for printing purposes. Due to the immense amount of time it takes to put one of these together, that had to be put on the back burner. I would love to still do this, but I can’t guarantee it will be done. I've logged over 35 hours on this first volume and I'm still not done with it. Still - if I there is a loud enough clamor for a white background version, I'll probably do one.
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
Thank you all for your support and interest in this endeavor.
This project would be worthless without the rockhound community supporting it. Together the first 11 volumes have been downloaded collectively over 2400 times by over 300 individuals. If you add the 4 Artists in Agate volumes of Bob Rush, Dan Heuer, and Steve Haynes, you can add another 500 downloads to that total. This total won't get us on the New York Times bestseller list, but it tells me people find these books interesting at least. And there is a certain type of person who is more important than anyone else for that success.
I believe the backbone of this publication is the local collector. In Volume One it would be people such as Brian Sellers and Don Hixson in AZ, and Lynn Dalton and Don Bagshaw in Utah, who show better than any outsider what their own backyard produces.
Thanks again to Mel Hixson as my quality control department. Without his input and oversight, this Index would not exist. I doubt I know anyone else as knowledgeable as him in this matter, and I am blessed by his friendship.
And finally, as always, thanks to Steve Holmes for that post two years ago that lead to the discussion that birthed this Index that eats up my time. I could have included him with the other collectors above, but I saved his special spot here.
Thanks to all!!! I wish you all an excellent New Years!!!
Lowell Foster
2nd Edition Update
The Index is undergoing a massive revision at present. It’s been almost two years since the first volumes came out and I’ve learned much on what works and what doesn’t. I have already gathered images from a number of new sources and the quality of images should be increased tremendously. But there are more fundamental changes in the works:
1) The new edition is gathering more states together in each volume. Volume One will cover Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. I’m in the middle of editing it and it has already reached over 150 pages of material. The side effect of this effort is that the files are much larger than before. Previously the largest files reached 20 MB. The new volumes will be over double this.
2) The new edition no longer divides material by state. Instead it gathers all related material in a region together by type for easier reference. For example, all the thundereggs in Volume One will be listed together. Dugway Geodes from Utah will be listed in the same section as Baker Eggs from New Mexico. This will help with identification of material as it means the reader doesn’t need to bounce between states to match a specimen to the photos.
3) There will be a long index at the end of each volume that lists the contents by state and by location. This will help people who are using the index to research the type of material found at a specific location.
4) There is a special volume that will be an overall index to the entire series. In addition to this, it will provide a visual glossary to the various types of agates and jaspers covered in the series so newer people to this hobby will be able to use it without too much trouble. Mel Hixson has written the definitions so you know they will be accurate.
5) There will be a list of missing material in each volume so collectors can know what they can provide to update the index. For example, at present, Volume One is missing Del Norte Thundereggs from Colorado as well as Mulligan Peak agates from Arizona.
6) In the previous series, I mentioned that we were hoping to produce a white background version of this series for printing purposes. Due to the immense amount of time it takes to put one of these together, that had to be put on the back burner. I would love to still do this, but I can’t guarantee it will be done. I've logged over 35 hours on this first volume and I'm still not done with it. Still - if I there is a loud enough clamor for a white background version, I'll probably do one.
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
Thank you all for your support and interest in this endeavor.
This project would be worthless without the rockhound community supporting it. Together the first 11 volumes have been downloaded collectively over 2400 times by over 300 individuals. If you add the 4 Artists in Agate volumes of Bob Rush, Dan Heuer, and Steve Haynes, you can add another 500 downloads to that total. This total won't get us on the New York Times bestseller list, but it tells me people find these books interesting at least. And there is a certain type of person who is more important than anyone else for that success.
I believe the backbone of this publication is the local collector. In Volume One it would be people such as Brian Sellers and Don Hixson in AZ, and Lynn Dalton and Don Bagshaw in Utah, who show better than any outsider what their own backyard produces.
Thanks again to Mel Hixson as my quality control department. Without his input and oversight, this Index would not exist. I doubt I know anyone else as knowledgeable as him in this matter, and I am blessed by his friendship.
And finally, as always, thanks to Steve Holmes for that post two years ago that lead to the discussion that birthed this Index that eats up my time. I could have included him with the other collectors above, but I saved his special spot here.
Thanks to all!!! I wish you all an excellent New Years!!!
Lowell Foster