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BEAUTY IN NATURAL CRYSTALS: Highlights from the Mineral Collection of Steve and Clara Smale
Steve and Clara are my next-door neighbors at the Westward Look show in Tucson, and I have had the privilege to get to know them better and sell them some specimens as well, in the last few years; and to see their collection at the home on occasion. It is a special treat, let me tell you (!), that now is shared through the publication of this incredibly high-quality, large-format, coffee-table book featuring photos by Steve and by Jeff Scovil of approximately 10% of the collection's highlights. You can see from the samples that there ar emany interesting acquisition stories to be told, here. Their collecting philosophy is to get BEAUTIFUL minerals of all size and price ranges: species both "ugly" and pretty, "common" and rare. This theme comes across quite clearly in the book despite the huge variety of specimens shown. At shows, the Smales are very low-key and modest. In the real world, Stephen Smale is a world-famous mathematican and winner of the 1966 Fields Medal, mathematics' highest award (Which apparently comes with a universal parking permit he efficiently uses to get to park anywhere he wants on the Berkeley campus when we go to lunch). Steve would be absolutely mortified if I went on and on about how brilliant and interesting he is, so I will refrain. Instead, I merely highlight a link to a biography written about him by a fellow mathemetician, which can be found on Amazon.com: Stephen Smale: The Mathematician Who Broke the Dimension Barrier, by Steve Batterson MINERALS DEACCESSED FROM THE SMALE COLLECTION ARE FOR SALE ON MY SITE ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES: MIXED SPECIMENS APATITE TOURMALINES Lastly, Steve gave an interview during the Tucson 2006 show, which makes for interesting reading as well: click here to go to the Recursivity blog ....MORE MINERALS COMING SOON! I made an exchange with Steve for 200 pieces recently and they will be posted as soon as i am able
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