Once people think they understand a concept or some data--perhaps assembling results from journal articles and conference proceedings, and their own research, they might want to write a book or review article to explain their understanding.

Books and review articles allow the author to explain, from beginning to end, all the details that led up to their understanding.  Most journal articles don´t have enough space to explain much more than just what the experiment was that was done.

Scientific books will help you get the basics down of a specialized field, giving you the background you need in order to effectively read the research literature.   

For our Tourmaline example, you may be interested in books on mineralogy, or even some books devoted to ring silicates.

      Examples: An Introduction to Rock-Forming Minerals, 549.6 D36i 1992

Using the Libraries Catalog to Find Books