[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> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C20BA1.0FA05080 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 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 ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C20BA1.0FA05080 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2716.2200" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hello Everyone,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </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. 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> </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. 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. 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. Prices have = soared=20 accordingly and instances may be cited in which five to ten dollars a = gram has=20 been paid. 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. Obviously a meteorite has no actual value and = these=20 prices are not only wholly artificial and unscientific, but silly. = It=20 should be added that this condition is due largely to the mere collector = rather=20 than the serious student. Ambitious heads of departments on our = public=20 museums are, however, by no means blameless."</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Okay, who was it?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Best wishes,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </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 =20 31405 USA<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://www.branchmeteorites.com">www.branchmeteorites.com</A></FO= NT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C20BA1.0FA05080-- Received on Tue 04 Jun 2002 08:23:09 AM PDT |
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