Also more photos, in color, of good work verses bad work would help beginners like me visualize what my goal should be. I feel I wasted time doing and undoing my stonework.

However, this is still a book for any stoneworker's library.


A great guide book   April 25, 2000
 43 out of 46 found this review helpful

A guide to the basics of stonework that concentrates on the most common projects: retaining walls, stone fences, foundations and steps, and then adds a bit more for the adventuresome: a fireplace, an arched bridge and a moon gate. A good book for the do-it-yourselfer or to learn what to look for in working with a professional stone mason.


High on inspiration, a bit thin on tools   January 22, 2005
 36 out of 37 found this review helpful

Wonderful black & white pictures of stone walls, stone arches, stone bridges and sundry projects. The author makes much of ancient Scot stone work. There are a lot of nice pen drawings used for 'step by step' construction programs. There are many, many suggestions regarding stone choice and stone placement. These comments are the best feature of the book. Finally, there are a few pages on handling large stones with hydraulic booms, pick-up trucks and front-loaders. These suggestions are not going to be found in many books.

There isn't much said about hand power-tool options, nor stone shaping. There are few 'construction tips'. For example, the details of mixing motar specific to your job are only broadly discussed and there are no aids for determining correct mortar wetness. There are no 'good' and 'bad' stone arrangements to illustrate stone arrangement tricks. If you are looking for a 'first project' guide, the Black & Decker 'Stonework & Masonry projects' book offers more assistance. If you've got a few walls completed and want to take the next step towards being a mason, this is your book.

Table of Contents:
Intro: Why stone?
Part 1: Working with stone
Chapter 1: Types of Stone
Chapter 2: Sources of Stone
Chapter 3: Handling Stone
Chapter 4: Selecting Stone for a Project
Chapter 5: Cutting and Shaping Stone
Part 2: Stonework Projects
Chapter 6: Basic and Inspired (curving) walls
Chapter 7: Retaining walls
Chapter 8: Entryways
Chapter 9: Stone steps
Chapter 10: Stone Projects for backyard and beyond (bbq, birdbath, sculpture, walkway, etc.)
Chapter 11: Stone Bridges
Chapter 12: Stone in Interior Spaces


Excellent primer for confident home-improvers   January 19, 1998
 25 out of 30 found this review helpful

Compared to other how-to books in the category, McRaven makes the reader feel very capable of completing the projects without "dumbing down" the material. Let's face it- stonework is somewhat intimidating. By adding some easy jobs like the stone birdbath-fountain, you can build confidence for bigger things. I'm ready for spring!!


Great for beginers   March 7, 2005
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

If your looking for a book about stone masonry in general, this will give you a great primer for authentic stone masonry. He details some basic projects and gives you a great detailed how to. I was looking for something a little more advanced but I wished I had a resource like this when I was first starting out. Don't know if I agree with his technique for drystone retaining walls. He says start skinny and step back, I am a hard headed Irishman who believes that your wall should be just as wide at the base as it is tall. I will have to do some more research.

Good read, very useful for beginners