The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls
In this elegant, literate primer, a master stonemason imparts the fundamentals of building traditional New England-style dry stone walls, along with thoughts on the history, aesthetics, and philosophy of the craft of placing stone. In this eminently readable primer on the fundamentals of placing stone, Kevin Gardner distills 25 years of experience in building and repairing New England-style dry stone walls into principles and practices that are adaptable to a wide variety of designs and...
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The much-admired dry stone walls of New England need regular maintenance and repair, according to the author, who is a stone wall builder and restorer who's worked on a number of historic sites. In this volume, beautifully illustrated with the drawings of Guillermo Nunez, Gardner teaches readers how to make stone walls, guiding them through the process of procuring materials, laying out the wall, and fitting the stones together. The techniques used in the restoration and repair of existing walls are also described. A glossary of terms, bibliography, and index are included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
ForewordxiAcknowledgmentsxvIntroductionxix1.Myth and Paradox: Historical Contexts and Misconceptions That Influence Stone Wall Builders Today12.Getting Started: Preparing the Site, Acquiring Material, and Laying Out the Wall213.Placement: Fitting Stones Together394.Faces: Stones That Show, and the Creation of Surfaces575.Special Structures: Variations on a Theme716.Rhythm and Temperament: Ways of Managing the Work1097.Notes on Design: Thinking about Walls in the Landscape1218.Repair and Restoration: Techniques of Imitation and the Idea of Renewal1419.Why Stone Walls Are Beautiful163Our Glossary: Common and Uncommon Terms179Bibliography187Index193
