Thomas F McLoughlinThis publication has been designed with the amateur (rock hound) as well as a virtual guide for the more advanced collectors. Explanation of the different groups of plants in as close to layman's terms as possible. This book contains 71 Plates and ovr 300 pictures and illustrations, the majority of which are in full color. A Bachelor of Science degree was earned while attending Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky. In December of 1979, I completed my Master's of Science thesis in geology at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Then in June 1980, I joined the US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). I stayed with this agency as a geologist and coal mine inspector for twenty-eight years, collecting plant fossils in the coal mines, and then after retirement, I explored outcrops (road cuts) in Southwestern Virginia and parts of West Virginia for an additional 2 years. For approximately twenty-six years, I taught introduction to geology courses at colleges in Cumberland, Kentucky, and Wise, Virginia. I started out in geology as a rock hound, collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils. By the end of high school, I decided to become a geologist and attended college. Actually, my parents insisted that I leave home because it was overtaken my rock samples. During high school and college, I practiced lapidary work, making jewelry from minerals and rocks. Presently, I am a coal miner instructor and a coal mining consultant. Read More Read Less