5 of The Best Geology Books For Beginners

Regardless of what hobby or interest you’re into, having access to a good book as a resource is almost always recommended. Ok…no. It’s ALWAYS recommended. This is true whether you’re getting into fishing, hiking and even geology.

I’d even argue that it’s more important to have a good geology book on hand than most other hobbies. That’s because a lot of what we learn about in geology…the rocks, minerals, formations and so much more…rely on pictures and illustrations in addition to written descriptions.

And don’t forget that we rockhounds and beginner geologists spend our time outdoors in the field digging, collecting and sorting. And one of the most important rockhounding tools we can have with us as beginners is a resource to help identify the specimens we find.

So I put together this list of the best geology books for beginners. I’m recommending these 5 books, however there are many more really good books out there. I’ve just found that these 5 books were really good in my opinion, and I know you’ll think so too.

The Best Geology Books For Beginners

1. Annals of The Former World

2. 101 American Geo-Sites You’ve Gotta See (Geology Underfoot)

3. Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals

4. Essentials of Geology

5. Earth’s Evolving Systems: The History of Planet Earth

The final geology book for beginners that I’m adding to this list is another college text book. Again, don’t shy away from these text books! They’re loaded with a ton of great information.

This book explores the complex processes and interactions that have ultimately shaped what is now planet Earth.

In it’s pages you’ll find that this book covers topics such as the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, and discusses how these systems, plate tectonics, and life have interacted with each other and evolved through time.

I don’t think that you’ll find another book that is capable of closing the gap between traditional historical geology and the behavior of Earth systems.

The same holds true for this book as the other text books I mentioned. If you’re able to find a copy of an earlier edition, you’ll probably be able to save quite a bit of money.