The Tucson Meteorites

“Writers of mystery stories often have to cast about for the key elements of an intriguing story […] I did not go looking for these critical ingredients of the story of the Tucson Meteorite. They came to me.” states Richard R. Willey in his forward to this short but thorough book. This book explores every aspect of the Meteorites – from their original descent to Earth, their mineral composition, to their use as anvils by American Indians and frontiersmen alike, to their name as a specimen, and the history of how they came to be in the Smithsonian. This title is of interest to researchers across the Institution - from Minerology and Astrophysics, to Anthropology and Museum Studies. The Tucson Meteorites themselves serve as a fitting reminder of the intersection between Science, History, Culture, and Art, and that no object can be studied in isolation, but rather fully within its own context.