Essentials of paleomagnetism /

It might seem unusual to recommend purchasing a book whose contents can be found free on the Internet, but such is the case with this exceptional, important volume. For many years, Tauxe (geophysics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) has published her detailed course notes on her Web site, and they have been used by countless students and researchers. Now the author has turned this material into a proper book, and the result is impressive. The content has been thoroughly "tested" by various users, and several experts have also contributed to the work. The main portion of the text covers such topics as the origin of magnetism, applications of magnetic methods, magnetic mineralogy, field sampling, data analysis, and vector/spherical statistics. The work also includes numerous useful appendixes, including information on free software to handle magnetic analysis. Overall, the book is superb as a reference, but its good organization and clear writing also make it useful as a manual of instruction, complete with exercises. Illustrations (color) are high quality and very useful in deciphering the complex topic. An extensive bibliography and index complete the volume. Content, utility, and production quality are high; this book is a real bargain. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. I. D. Sasowsky University of Akron