Great book but American!
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You will certainly enjoy reading this book and will also learn a lot from it. It doesn't cover building techniques in detail though. The author is an enthusiastic builder who loves natural stone and shares all his techniques by telling his experiences in the past just like a story. I totally love it as it is so easy to read. You get to learn how he builds the house and how one should build it too from scratch - clearly and precisely. Since started to read this book I have become a stone hunter-gatherer! Wherever I go I look at stones to judge their shape and usability,etc. It is amazing how much you get inspired by this book! The only downfall is it doesn't cover our wonderful British stone houses and building techniques :(
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Excellent
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I have just bought a very old near-ruinous stone house in Italy with theidea that I can fix it myself -- so I am a complete novice so far as stonemasonry techniques are concerned. I found this book excellent: Mr McRavenmust be pretty old by now (he says he started building with stone in the1940s)but that gives his work even greater authority & authenticity. Itis easy to read, lots of B&W photos and lots of little hand-drawn diagramsalongside the text. Clearly written, he teaches traditional methods, andencourages great patiences while your mortar dries, you choose the rightstone etc. If you are an expert this is probably not the book for you. If you are wanting practical help & guidance this is an excellent book tostart with.
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Introduction to Traditional Stone Masonry
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This is an excellent first book for those who want to learn about building with stone as an old-world craftsman, rather than a money-hungry contractor or assembly-line modern mason. Charles McRaven does not fill his book with theory, but with practical methods and ideas which are true to proper masonry techniques but allow even the most novice to begin to lay stone right away. The anecdotal style of this book makes it an easy read, and inspires confidence to pick up that trowel for the first time!
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