Clays (2005) and the Handbook of Clay Science (2006) are new textbooks. Clays, written by Alain Meunier, is for those studying earth sciences. The Handbook of Clay Science, edited by Faїza Bergaya, Benny Theng and Gerhard Lagaly, is concerned particularly with the industrial application of clay mineral science. Both books ar e timely and could fill important gaps in the library of mineral science. Their quality as textbooks is discussed. Critical an alysis of editorial accuracy, indexes and user-friendliness indic ate that both books fall short of the high standards that should be the hallmark of academic publication. Their shortcomings seem to be related to widespread problems that may beset commercial publica tion of scientific books., Christopher V. Jeans., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy