This volume serves as a comprehensive reference work designed to consolidate and organize nearly a century of mineralogical nomenclature into a single, accessible index. Editors Peter G. Embrey and John P. Fuller compiled this data from decades of lists originally published in the Mineralogical Magazine. By synthesizing these records, the authors provide a standardized resource for researchers and geologists to verify the naming history and classification of approximately 5,500 mineral species discovered or identified between 1892 and 1978.

Experts and researchers in the field of mineralogy regard this text as a foundational archival resource for historical nomenclature. The work is frequently cited for its utility in tracking the evolution of mineral naming conventions throughout the twentieth century.