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Building Stone Walls (Paperback)

~ (Author) "If you stop and think about it it seems that, written word aside, the most enduring monuments to man's creativity and hard work are built..." (more)
Key Phrases: stone bird bath, tie stones, check dam, South Dorset, New England
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

List Price: $11.95
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Building Stone Walls + Stonework: Techniques and Projects + Building with Stone
Price For All Three: $34.66

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  • This item: Building Stone Walls by John Vivian

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Well, here it is: Basic tools, basic techniques, illustrations and photographs, and all the planning and safety instructions you will need to build a variety of stone walls. This is a book that can help you beautify your back yard with the grace and texture of natural stone, or launch you on a career of reconstructing the Inca Empire or building a second Great Wall of China if you get carried away. Up to you...


Product Description

Includes equipment requirements, instructions for creating wall foundations, coping with drainage problems, and hints for incorporating gates, fences, and stiles.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 3, 1976)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0882660748
  • ISBN-13: 978-0882660745
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #8 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Masonry
    #17 in  Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Masonry

More About the Author

John Vivian
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
If you stop and think about it it seems that, written word aside, the most enduring monuments to man's creativity and hard work are built of stone. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stone bird bath, tie stones, check dam
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
South Dorset, New England
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Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and fun to read; lots of good sense, October 10, 1999
By Thomas Moertel (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Building Stone Walls, as a book, works very well. The writing, typography, design, and illustration all support one another like well-chosen stones, and the result is pleasing: a simple, wonderful book. Even if you have no plans to build a stone wall, the book is worth reading because you can't help but share the author's enthusiasm as he describes the permanence of stone walls, talks about different kinds of stone, discusses tools and techniques, explains footings and drainage, provides advice for working with not-so-good stone, and shares myriad other pearls of wisdom. And, if you are planning on building a stone wall, or just have a fondness for stone, then by all means add this book to your library.
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57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview; good first book on building with stone, September 5, 2002
Compact and concise, John Vivian's "Building Stone Walls" is a book that you can take with you while collecting (or buying) stone for your project, preparing the location, and building your wall. It offers a good overview of stacking stone, as well as a couple of less common ways of using stone (re-channeling moving water, for example). Best of all, it has some very practical, timesaving tips, particularly advice about when it is necessary to start with a trench and gravel base and when it is not.

With our particular project - building a retaining wall with field stone recycled from decaying fences around our house in the Catskills - we found that Vivian's book did not include quite enough detail. He only supplies a few paragraphs on the construction of a retaining wall, though to be fair, what information he gives is practical. By itself, however, this would not have been enough to guide us through the project.

For more detailed information on retaining walls, we turned to "The Granite Kiss", "Stone in the Garden" and "The Art and Craft of Stonescaping." Keep in mind, however, that the latter two books are more lavishly illustrated, a cross between a how-to book and a coffee-table book, so you probably would not take them out in the field.

That said, if you have never worked with stone, and want to get an idea of what is involved in planning and preparation, finding and moving stone, and building a wall, Vivian's book is a practical and inexpensive book to buy first. Five stars for useful, concise information in a very usable format.

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30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Very brief, minimal detail., September 23, 2001
By brian phillips (Springfield, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
This book concentrates on dry stone walls, even though the title does specifically say this. Although the book does mention mortar stone walls, minimal detail and description is provided. One could not possibly build a mortar stone wall from reading this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat helpful
The book is very helpful with the theory of wall building. It lacks somewhat in specifics, and is also a bit dated. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Kansas boy

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and enjoyable
We've been thinking about acquiring some stone and building a retaining wall, but weren't sure what kind of rock to use, where to find it, how to start, and the right way to go... Read more
Published 8 months ago by LoveNature

5.0 out of 5 stars A KEEPER!
I found this book to be much more than I expected!
The author gave me the technical information I was looking for PLUS HISTORICAL information that gave me plenty of reason... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mary Littlefield

4.0 out of 5 stars Educational and Informative
I am planning on building a stone wall and as I know nothing about the subject I recently purchased 4 great books. Read more
Published 17 months ago by mhs

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the novice
I purchased this book to get some basic knowledge before I attempted to build a small retaining wall in my front yard. Read more
Published 22 months ago by K. Maly

3.0 out of 5 stars McRaven did it better!!
Charles McRaven's "Building Stone Walls" is much better. Covers all the material and techniques that Vivians book does and more! Don't waste your time on this book. Read more
Published on May 5, 2005 by hk538

5.0 out of 5 stars worth it just for the philosophy
This delightful, practical book is worth buying just for the first page of the introduction which is as simple, wise, and true as anything I have ever read -- about walls or about... Read more
Published on November 20, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars iNFORMATIONAL AS WELL AS ENTERTAINING
Believe it or not, I read this book from the library of a house we rented in Kilcrohane, Ireland - we have always wanted to build stone walls and this book was an inspiration to... Read more
Published on August 3, 1999

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