Australian Mineral Economics. Phillip Maxwell and Pietro Guj, Editors. Pp. 240. The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Monograph 24. 2006. ISBN 978-1-920806-47-4. Price hardcopy A$80.00, CD-ROM A$70.00.

This volume, the latest in a series of AusIMM monographs on issues in the minerals industry, draws together the ever more diverse topics falling under the broad discipline of mineral economics. The title of the volume is somewhat misleading because the emphasis is placed on Australian rather than mineral economics , suggesting a parochial approach to the subject matter. Although many of the examples and case studies presented by the authors have an Australian slant, the true value of the volume lies in the concise presentation of a wide breadth of material relevant to the international minerals industry. The volume comprises 18 chapters grouped into four sections: “Minerals and the World Economy,” “Minerals—Consumption, Production and Markets,” “Mineral Finance and Investment,” and “Minerals and Public Policy.” The editors have managed to maintain continuity across the various sections, while allowing each to stand on its own merits and content. This generally holds true as well for the specific chapters within the sections. In this aspect, the editors helped their own cause significantly …