Exploring the Berkshire Hills

After introductory chapters on Berkshire geology, Author Ed Kirby takes you to some of the most scenic and interesting sites throughout the Berkshires of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. As you take the 25 field tours, which include roadside geology, hikes and short walks, you gain field experience with local geology and also appreciate the role geology played in the industrial and historical development of the region. With some humor and excellent illustrations, Kirby presents the making of rocks and landscape, the workings of blast furnaces, localities of iron ore, glass sand, and clay. Quotes and stories from Longfellow, Melville, Hawthorne, and Wharton are interspersed with descriptions of unconformities, great faults, waterfalls, and mountaintop vistas. This book is an interesting and useful guide to the region for both tourists and natives, and it combines clear writing and excellent photographs and illustrations for a unique, multidisciplinary look at the region.