The Slate Roof Bible: Everything You Wanted to Know About Slate Roofs Including How to Keep Them Alive for Centuries (Paperback)

~ Joseph Jenkins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Slate Roof Bible gives a concise history of the slate industry on both sides of the Atlantic, and the types and colours of slates to be found. Although the author is American, he is descended from Welsh migrs who left with the collapse of the Welsh slate industry around the turn of the century, and this is reflected in the early chapters. The later chapters cover in some depth the design, installation, and maintenance of slate roofs. Also covered are tools, safe working practices, and important details on chimneys, flashings and gutters. This is well done, with clear illustrations and photos - an excellent example of how to produce a practical guide. The first book to be written on the subject of slate roofs since 1926. -- The Permaculture Magazine Information Service [England]

"The Slate Roof Bible is a fine book, filled with fascinating information about slate: its history, the industry, and the way to work with it properly." "I've been working with slate for a long time; still, I learned from this book some valuable hints and techniques that I've been able to put into practice." -- Fine Homebuilding, July 1998

"Five years of meticulous research, thousands of miles traveled to slate quarries all over the world, particularly Wales, has produced The Slate Roof Bible - and a surprise. This book, potentially tedious reading, is instead a delight. Full of history, lore, and useful advice, Jenkins has written a fascinating book, spiced it with humor and warmed it with his own passion for the subject." -- Doylestown Intelligencer Record [Philadelphia]

"Jenkins tells his tale with pizazz and rollicking humor, offering anecdote after anecdote about what people do, and do not do, to their slate roofs." -- Boston Sunday Globe

Product Description

Published September 1, 1997, The Slate Roof Bible is the first comprehensive book on the topic of slate roofs since 1926. It contains 200 photos, some in color, and an additional 175 black and white drawings. This two-part book tells you why older slate roofs should be preserved, if they can (and how to determine that), and how to identify the various types of roof slate. It details the history of the slate roofing industry in the United States and in Wales (the Welsh started virtually all the slate quarries in the United States), and explains how the finished roof slates were made. The second half of the book is a detailed, step-by-step repair manual, indicating what tools to use, where to get them, and how to use them. It describes what goes wrong with older slate roofs and how to remedy the problems, and includes chapters on how to safely work on slate roofs, plus complete flashing details, chimney repair and rebuilding, how to install and recycle slate roofs, and more. Written in simple, easy to understand laypersons' terms, this is one book no slate roof owner, architect, historian or contractor should be without.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Energy Shelter; illustrated edition edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964425807
• ISBN-13: 978-0964425804
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #319,943 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #8 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Roofing
  #11 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Roofing
  #93 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Structural

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative book on the subject, April 3, 2004

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Slate Roof Bible: Understanding, Installing and Restoring the World's Finest Roof (The Slate Roof Bible, 2nd Edition) (Paperback)

A complete education about slate roofs is the only description that seems appropriate for this book. "The Slate Roof Bible" not only covers the various types of slate, installation techniques, and other items you would expect but also the history of slate roofing, slate quarrying, and other information. With photographs or illustrations on almost every page it is easy to understand the techniques as well as everything else discussed. With the knowledge in this book you can easily create the impression of being an authority on slate and slate roofs. "The Slate Roof Bible" is a highly recommended purchase for anyone who wants to gain a thorough education on slate and slate roofs.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2005 Writers Notes Book Award Winner, May 17, 2005

By	Writers Notes Magazine "Book Editor" (www.WritersNotes.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Slate Roof Bible: Understanding, Installing and Restoring the World's Finest Roof (The Slate Roof Bible, 2nd Edition) (Paperback)

It's difficult to picture a reference book as literature, but Jenkins climbs that peak in The Slate Roof Bible. It's that rare combination of fact and experience that creates learning and appreciation. With beautiful pictures and sweeping detail, Jenkins' covers the height and pitch, the manufacturing and maintenance, and even the history of slate roofs. I'm not certain that you'd know this much about `the worlds finest roof' if you had one over your head, even if you fixed them for a living, but this book is more than information. It's a love story, and Jenkins travels the world to deliver the variety and nuance of the stone that affords shelter for countless generations. The heat rises. Bats cut loose. Angry bees buzz past. It's all in a day's work, as slaters anxiously attempt to match tiles, all the while pondering the mystery and genesis of the stone itself. Perhaps it isn't romantic for people who mine, cut, haul, and work slate for a living, but reading The Slate Roof Bible, you start to believe it is.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Joe Jenkins' love of slate is contagious!, November 15, 2000

By	Dean Bredenbeck - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a tremendous resource on the benefits of slate and why it creates a beautiful roof. The color photographs alone make it clear why all hard slate roofs should be maintained as local/regional treasures. After reading "The Slate Roof Bible" the roof moves to the foreground whenever evaluating a building's appearance. Unfortunately too few understand the long-term asthetic and function of slate roofs, and many beautiful older homes have been downgraded with installation of asphalt roofs. This fine book not only covers all aspects of slate roof installation and maintenance, but also provides help on other projects (gutters, chimneys, etc) while you're up there :-) Read this book and discover the "secret" of slate...