Mining historian Kerby Jackson introduces us to a classic mining publication on the evaluation and examination of mines and prospects by H.O. Hofman. First published in 1896, it has been unavailable for over a century and sheds important light on the the recovery of silver from lead based ores. Some of the topics include the properties of lead and some of its compounds, lead ores such as galenite, anglesite, cerussite and others, the distribution of lead ores throughout the United States and the sampling and assaying of lead ores. Also covered is the metallurgical treatment of lead ores, as well as the desilverization of lead by the Pattinson Process and the Parkes Process. Hofman's text has long been considered one of the most important early works on the recovery of silver from lead based ores. Note: This edition is a perfect facsimile of the original edition and is not set in a modern typeface. As such, some type characters and images might suffer from slight imperfections or minor shadows in the page background.