B<scp>EST</scp>, M. G. & C<scp>HRISTIANSEN</scp>, E. H. 2001. Igneous Petrology. xvi+458 pp. Oxford: Blackwell Science. Price £29.50 (paperback). ISBN 0 86542 541 8. Geol. Mag. 139, 2002, DOI: 10.1017/S0016756802216507

For lecturers and students of igneous petrology, the end of the last century was marked by a void of appropriate course textbooks. I was therefore delighted to discover that Myron Best and Eric Christiansen had compiled Igneous Petrology. The text is written at the level appropriate for second or third year undergraduate students. It is an up-to-date and comprehensive compilation of all aspects of igneous petrology, ranging from the nucleation and growth of crystals to magma genesis. It is well illustrated with line drawings and numerous photomicrographs and field photographs. The book is divided into 13 chapters based on igneous processes. At the end of each chapter …