Too many times over the years I've encountered treasure hunters who didn't know how to pan gold, didn't know how to evaluate a watercourse, didn't know how to recognize gold if they saw it. If you just want an excuse to go out into the wilderness for a few days of fun and solitude, or if you plan to search for the Dutchman or the Lost Adams, this is a good book to begin your education.

If you want some interesting history of gold discovery and the way things used to be done, this is the book for you.As for myself, I was looking for modern methods ( I didn't check the publication date of 1982) but did find the history lesson interesting. Not much mention in this book about electronic gold prospecting! Some of the camping suggestions are a bit old but with a little modern adaptation they still work.Overall an easy, interesting read.