Gold!Gold!

By Joseph Petralia

An unusually attractive handbook that introduces would-be gold prospecting hobbyists to a bit of gold fever history, basic information on types of deposits, and guidelines on looking for gold in stream bed's and in quartz veins. The author writes informally and engagingly on various techniques of prospecting...a sound buy.--The American Library Association Booklist

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0960589058
• ISBN13: 9780960589050
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Sierra Trading Post
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding information for anyone new to gold Prospecting.

In short, this author has many years of experience and he backs it up with common sense, keep it simple - cost saving ideas for anyone wanting to learn more about gold prospecting. Chapter VI alone, titled "Nickel Knowledge" in my opinion, made the price of this book a bargain. The basic information on pages 94 & 95 on how to sort Gold by size and additionally explaining how the weight of Gold is always determined in "Troy Ounces" was instrumental in establishing a strong/solid base of knowledge to build onto about Gold Prospecting.

Prospecting Gold 101

A real good entry level book with lots of good information on equipment, what to look for and how to start. A must read for all beginners!

Does what it says

I've been gold panning before a couple of times with my brother and, while I have found a little gold (and I do mean "little") thanks to his knowledge, I think our next outing will be more fruitful thanks to this book. The history of finding gold in California is also helpful since, as the author says, 75-85% of the gold remains undiscovered. I found the book helpful enough I'm planning on buying a copy for my brother.

Fun and informative!

Don't be fooled by the reviewer who (inadvertently?) gave this book zero stars. It is packed with great entry-level information on gold prospecting. Bravo Mr. Petralia!

Good beginning Gold Panning Book

The real gem of this book for the amatuer Gold Panner/Sluicer is how to "read" a river to pick the best place to start working instead of wasting fruitless months like I did panning in the wrong places and finding lots of black sand, but no "color."Other than that, the book is mainly a historical narrative of the Gold Rush in California with a brief introduction on one of the techniques for using a gold pan.