This book documents what is likely the most complete collection of agates worldwide. It contains pictures of more than 1250 of the choicest and rarest specimens of sagenite, plume, and banded agate along with some other fine lapidary materials from Pat McMahan's personal collection. The specimens featured in the book come from over 300 locations world-wide. Most of the agates pictured in this book are self-collected by the author. These specimens were collected from 19 states in the Untied States, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, and Alaska. Also included are interesting personal collecting stories, prospecting techniques, and mining history of various locations.

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance and bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

This informative and fully illustrated volume explores the untold story of agate gemstones hidden in Kentucky’s scenic Knobs Region. With their fine grain and rich assortment of colors, agate stones are coveted by collectors and becoming rarer across the globe. Some of the most beautiful specimens in the world have been found in the rugged terrain of eastern Kentucky. In Kentucky Agate, authors Roland L. McIntosh and Warren H. Anderson reveal the beauty and diversity of this sought-after stone with hundreds of color photographs. Kentucky Agate also reveals locations where agate may be found, offering maps of the region surrounding the city of Irvine, Kentucky, including parts of Estill, Powell, Jackson, Menifee, Madison, and Lee counties. With detailed photographs revealing aspects of the rock not visible to the naked eye, this book also provides fascinating information on the history, geology, chemistry, and formation of the mineral.