Rock Pox

[Nimravis]

I recently stopped at a used book store and purchased a 1958 Hardback edition of the Carroll Fenton- "The Fossil Book", which is a great book if you have not seen it before. Inside the book I found the attached 4 1/2 " by 7 " card, warning about "Rock Pox"; which I think all of us suffer from. The store that the card came from (Mid-America Rock Shop- Chicago) is also a fossil, and I would guess that it has not been around since the 70's. Enjoy.

 

[tmaier]

Hey, good find! I have a 20 year old paperback of that book, but I collect old books and would prefer to have the first edition hardcover edition.

[digit]

This explains a lot---now I have a name for it.

 

I love old books. I inherited a whole bookshelf full of old books from my grandfather who was a typesetter and book binder. I especially enjoy reading through old science books from many decades past to see what our understanding was at that point in time--looking back with the advantage of all we know now. It's like time travel to the past without all the worrying about creating a paradox.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[tmaier]

"reading through old science books from many decades past to see what our understanding was at that point in time-"

And then giggle at their lack of understanding! Ha! =-)

No, really I just do that to try to understand the times, how people thought, and how things came to be the way they are. It's a literary form of paleontology, digging through the layers of ancient books to look for early life forms.

I have a nature book from the early 19th century that advises the young student to avoid the practice of witchcraft or soccery. Good advise, often lacking from modern textbooks.

[Pagurus]

Wow, that brings back memories. 1958 sounds about right. I had a card just like that, covered in stone dust from my little diamond saw. I would have been about 10 years old. I've always loved old books, though I'm more of an accumulator than a collector. One of my first auction purchases, under a tent in the early 1950's, was a box stuffed full of Lapidary Journals. I was exposed to Rock Pox early on. It was under control for many years but now the symptoms have returned.

 

My mom collected books and was an avid reader, and in her 90s she still is. My dad was in the printing business, making lead "electrotype" printing plates for newspaper ads. I always had a good supply of lead to melt for fishing sinkers and toy soldiers. Our home was full of books, old and new. Rocks too.

 

A few months ago I purchased a box lot of 19th century ephemera, along with a few books, not knowing exactly what was in the lot. I was excited to find an 1870's US atlas that included two 1874 Geological Maps of the U.S.  It turns out that this huge atlas belonged to J.B. Woodworth (1865 - 1925), Chairman of the Geology Department at Harvard College. I wish I could have gone along on some of his field trips. Here's a description from the Harvard Crimson, in 1896:

 

"The ... excursion is in charge of Mr. J. B. Woodworth; the objective point is Gay, Head, Martha's Vineyard. The reading will be found in the special pamphlet, Geology S. 2, Summer School of 1896, which has recently been issued. The party leaves the Providence Station, Boston, on Monday, April 20, at 12 m. The expense will be about $15. Any one who wishes to join the excursion should communicate with Mr. Woodworth immediately, as the accommodations are limited."

The excursion of Geology S. 2, conducted by Mr. Woodworth, will be changed from those of previous years, in that the field to be visited this year lies wholly within the New England States. The class will assemble in Cambridge on July 3, and after ten days spent in preparation for studies in the field, will proceed to Attleboro, situated in the northern part of the Narragansett coal basin. Two weeks will be spent in the examination of the country between Attleboro and Newport. From Newport the party will go to the island of Martha's Vineyard, and take up its headquarters with the Gay Head Indians. At this point the attention of the class will be devoted to the intricate structure of the famous Gay Head cliffs, also to the great terminal moraine and to the encroachment of the sea upon the island. After leaving Martha's Vineyard the party will go to the last section of its work in the district of old lava beds and triassic sandstones about Meriden in the central part of Connecticut."
 

 

[Innocentx]

These were the books (actually pamphlets) that started it all for me, because I was very lucky to have a father who took us on adventures.

[Nimravis]

1 hour ago, Innocentx said:

These were the books (actually pamphlets) that started it all for me, because I was very lucky to have a father who took us on adventures.

I also had the Midwest Gem Trails - great little book.

[Innocentx]

Cool, Nimravis.  The Arizona Rock Trails has these big cards. One side is the map and the other a description. It was all so wild and empty of humans.

[Innocentx]

Back then.