[meteorite-list] Meteorite Books and Quotes

From: Walter Branch <branchw_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:01:30 2004
Message-ID: <001201c20bc2$972f0fc0$6701a8c0_at_cc516468a>

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Hello Everyone,

I am preparing another list of meteorite books (all at free shipping) =
and I thought the following passage was mildly interesting. I will give =
a 10% discount to the first person who can tell me who wrote this and =
when he or she wrote it:

"On account of the halo which naturally surrounds an object of such =
mysterious origin, meteorites have been eagerly sought by collectors - =
so eagerly, indeed, that stones and irons have been divided and =
subdivided to a degree bordering on the absurd and far removed from =
scientific. The desire on the part of collectors to secure =
representatives of the fullest possible number of falls has not only led =
them to bid prices high but has caused a stone - if only of moderate =
size - to be broken into bits so widely distributed that it has been =
impossible in later years to secure enough for study. Catalogs of =
collections have been printed in which certain rare falls were =
represented by fragments weighing but 0.1 or 0.2 gram or a little larger =
than the point of an ordinary lead pencil. Prices have soared =
accordingly and instances may be cited in which five to ten dollars a =
gram has been paid. The small meteorite which fell in Kilbourn, =
Wisconsin (Plate 40), in 1911, and passed through a board in the roof of =
a barn, sold as high as seven dollars a gram, largely on this account, =
as it was a stone of a common chondritic type. Obviously a meteorite =
has no actual value and these prices are not only wholly artificial and =
unscientific, but silly. It should be added that this condition is due =
largely to the mere collector rather than the serious student. =
Ambitious heads of departments on our public museums are, however, by no =
means blameless."

Okay, who was it?

Best wishes,

-Walter=20

-----------------------------------------------
Walter Branch, Ph.D.
Branch Meteorites
322 Stephenson Ave., Suite B
Savannah, GA 31405 USA
www.branchmeteorites.com

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hello Everyone,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I am preparing another list of =
meteorite books (all=20
at free shipping) and I thought the following passage was mildly=20
interesting.&nbsp; I will give a 10% discount to the first person who =
can tell=20
me who wrote this and when he or she wrote it:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"On account of the halo which naturally =
surrounds=20
an object of such mysterious origin, meteorites have been eagerly sought =
by=20
collectors - so eagerly, indeed, that stones and irons have been divided =
and=20
subdivided to a degree bordering on the absurd and far removed from=20
scientific.&nbsp; The desire on the part of collectors to secure =
representatives=20
of the fullest possible number of falls has not only led them to bid =
prices high=20
but has caused a stone - if only of moderate size - to be broken into =
bits so=20
widely distributed that it has been impossible in later years to secure =
enough=20
for study.&nbsp; Catalogs of collections have been printed in which =
certain rare=20
falls were represented by fragments weighing but 0.1 or 0.2 gram or a =
little=20
larger than the point of an ordinary lead pencil.&nbsp; Prices have =
soared=20
accordingly and instances may be cited in which five to ten dollars a =
gram has=20
been paid.&nbsp; The small meteorite which fell in Kilbourn, Wisconsin =
(Plate=20
40), in 1911, and passed through a board in the roof of a barn, sold as =
high as=20
seven dollars a gram, largely on this account, as it was a stone of a =
common=20
chondritic type.&nbsp; Obviously a meteorite has no actual value and =
these=20
prices are not only wholly artificial and unscientific, but silly.&nbsp; =
It=20
should be added that this condition is due largely to the mere collector =
rather=20
than the serious student.&nbsp; Ambitious heads of departments on our =
public=20
museums are, however, by no means blameless."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Okay, who was it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Best wishes,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Walter </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2><BR>-----------------------------------------------<BR>Walter =
Branch,=20
Ph.D.<BR>Branch Meteorites<BR>322 Stephenson Ave., Suite B<BR>Savannah, =
GA&nbsp;=20
31405 USA<BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.branchmeteorites.com">www.branchmeteorites.com</A></FO=
NT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Tue 04 Jun 2002 08:23:09 AM PDT


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