Volume 26 of Reviews in Mineralogy provides a multidisciplinary review of our current knowledge of contact metamorphism. As in any field of endeavor, we are provided with new questions, thereby dictating future directions of study. Hopefully, this volume will provide inspiration and direction for future research on contact metamorphism. The Mineralogical Society of America sponsored the short course on Contact Metamorphism, October 17-19, 1991, at the Pala Mesa Resort, Fallbrook, California, prior to its annual meeting with the Geological Society of America.

Petrology and Genesis of Igneous Rocks comprises of two parts - the first part (Chapters 1 to 8) deals with constituent minerals, texture, thermodynamic principles, phase relations in natural rock systems and causes of diversity in a single petrographic province. Petrology of the crust, mantle and core, the convective cycle patterns in the mantle and their relation to magma genesis and physicochemical properties of magma are also discussed in this part. Use of Isotope geology in determination of age and degree of magma mixing is included towards the end of the first part. The second part (Chapters 9-13) describes individual rock types, from various countries including their geochemistry, petrology and genesis.

Vols. 1-44 include Proceedings of the annual meeting, 1889-1933, later published separately.