Dan R. Lynch grew up in his parents' rock shop--Agate City, in Two Harbors, Minnesota--on the shores of Lake Superior, where he learned the nuances of rock, mineral, and fossil identification firsthand. He has always enjoyed sharing his knowledge, and after earning his degree in graphic design with emphasis on photography from the University of Minnesota Duluth, it seemed a natural choice to combine all of his interests by writing rock and mineral field guides. His father, Bob Lynch, a respected veteran of the Lake Superior agate-collecting community, helped him get his start in this endeavor, and now Dan enjoys helping amateurs "decode" the complexities of geology and mineralogy. Many of his books focus on specific favorites, such as Lake Superior agates or Petoskey stone, and he takes pride that they all feature his true-to-life photographs and easy-to-read text. He currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, Julie, where he works as an author, artist, and classical numismatist.