Strunz, H. and Nickel, E.H. Strunz Mineralogical Tables, 9^th Edition.: Berlin and Stuttgart (E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung). 2001, 870 pp. Price €148.00 (US$142.00). ISBN 3 510 65188 X and
 Lima de Faria, J. Structural Classification of Minerals, Volume 1. Dordrecht (Kluwer Academic Publishers). 2001, 143 pp. Price £37.00, ISBN 0 792 36892 4.

I was asked to review these two closely-related books by making a comparison.

I will refer to the former as ‘Strunz’ and to the latter as ‘SCM’. Strunz is a complete single book, whereas SCM is in three volumes. Volume 1 of SCM deals with minerals having general ‘formulae’ of A, A_mB_n and A_pB_qC_r and no molecular H₂O (960 species), Volume 2 minerals with formulae A_pB_qC_rD_sE_xF_yG_z and no molecular H₂O, and Volume 3 does the...