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Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology
Most people do not think to look for geology from the sidewalks of a major city, but for David B. Williams any rock used as building material can tell a fascinating story. All he has to do is look at building stone in any urban center to find a range of rocks equal to any assembled by plate tectonics. In Stories in Stone , he takes you on his explorations to find 3.5-billion-year-old rock that looks like swirled pink and black taffy, a gas station made of petrified wood, and a Florida fort that has withstood 300 years of attacks and hurricanes, despite being made of a stone that has the consistency of a granola bar.
In Stories in Stone , Williams also weaves in the cultural history of stone. He shows why a white, fossil-rich limestone from Indiana became the only building stone to be used in all 50 states; how in 1825, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument led to America's first commercial railroad; and why when the same kind of marble used by Michelangelo was used on a Chicago skyscraper it warped so much after 19 years that all 44,000 panels of the stone had to be replaced. A love letter to building stone, from New England brownstone and Morton Gneiss of Minnsota to the limestone of Salem, Indiana; from granite and travertine to Carrara marble, David Willilams brings to life the stones you will see in the structures of every city, large and small. After reading his book, you will forever look at stone buildings with new eyes.
In Stories in Stone , Williams also weaves in the cultural history of stone. He shows why a white, fossil-rich limestone from Indiana became the only building stone to be used in all 50 states; how in 1825, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument led to America's first commercial railroad; and why when the same kind of marble used by Michelangelo was used on a Chicago skyscraper it warped so much after 19 years that all 44,000 panels of the stone had to be replaced. A love letter to building stone, from New England brownstone and Morton Gneiss of Minnsota to the limestone of Salem, Indiana; from granite and travertine to Carrara marble, David Willilams brings to life the stones you will see in the structures of every city, large and small. After reading his book, you will forever look at stone buildings with new eyes.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 15, 2020
I like pop science books a lot. I enjoy learning about things I've either avoided in the past or simply never thought thing one about. This subject is one of the latter.
Williams has an extra-interesting (to me) chapter on brownstone(s)...as I'm a few miles from Brooklyn, and a former resident of a brownstone-clad building in Manhattan, I've seen a lot of stuff about them. I've noticed, for example, a fact that Williams explores at some length...the rotten condition of a lot of brownstone facades...and always thought, "whatinaheck made people use this stuff?! It's ugly and it's fragile!" Well, Mr. Williams goes into the bad-condition part (cheap construction) and even comments on the changes that took place in attitudes towards the stone. Originally the brownstone wasn't thought highly of by the cognoscenti of the day, being drab and uniform and inidicative of a certain bourgeois striving that the haut ton has always smirkingly dismissed. Then it came to be seen as charming, for some damn reason, and now it seems that we're heading back into condescenscion. Fashion...plus ca change....
Granite, my personal favorite stone, gets a lot of play in this book, and I learned a great deal about its genesis and its manifold strengths. I lived in a part of Texas that is a big ol' granite shelf with dead coral reefs atop it (the Hill Country), whence cometh a lovely pink granite.
I think books like this offer a very useful meditation on the world around us. A built environment is every bit as complex and interesting and worthy of quiet contemplation as a natural environment is, and too few people afford the built environment more than a disparaging glance. It's foolish to think that a state of nature has more inherent interest than humanity's considered labors. Why should we humans dismiss the fruits of our labors? Why not appreciate both for their different strengths?
I don't think Williams exactly meant to bring this idea to the fore, but it's the first thing that sprang to my mind. I'd recommend the book more highly, but the author isn't a prose stylist of any great note. He's solid and informative and able to convey a sense of his pleasure in the stones we build our life-caves from, but his words take flight exactly never and I see that as a demerit. I'd like for people who *don't* like science to read the book. It's worth your while because you'll get a small sense of what science does...explain the universe to us in useful and interesting ways.
Williams has an extra-interesting (to me) chapter on brownstone(s)...as I'm a few miles from Brooklyn, and a former resident of a brownstone-clad building in Manhattan, I've seen a lot of stuff about them. I've noticed, for example, a fact that Williams explores at some length...the rotten condition of a lot of brownstone facades...and always thought, "whatinaheck made people use this stuff?! It's ugly and it's fragile!" Well, Mr. Williams goes into the bad-condition part (cheap construction) and even comments on the changes that took place in attitudes towards the stone. Originally the brownstone wasn't thought highly of by the cognoscenti of the day, being drab and uniform and inidicative of a certain bourgeois striving that the haut ton has always smirkingly dismissed. Then it came to be seen as charming, for some damn reason, and now it seems that we're heading back into condescenscion. Fashion...plus ca change....
Granite, my personal favorite stone, gets a lot of play in this book, and I learned a great deal about its genesis and its manifold strengths. I lived in a part of Texas that is a big ol' granite shelf with dead coral reefs atop it (the Hill Country), whence cometh a lovely pink granite.
I think books like this offer a very useful meditation on the world around us. A built environment is every bit as complex and interesting and worthy of quiet contemplation as a natural environment is, and too few people afford the built environment more than a disparaging glance. It's foolish to think that a state of nature has more inherent interest than humanity's considered labors. Why should we humans dismiss the fruits of our labors? Why not appreciate both for their different strengths?
I don't think Williams exactly meant to bring this idea to the fore, but it's the first thing that sprang to my mind. I'd recommend the book more highly, but the author isn't a prose stylist of any great note. He's solid and informative and able to convey a sense of his pleasure in the stones we build our life-caves from, but his words take flight exactly never and I see that as a demerit. I'd like for people who *don't* like science to read the book. It's worth your while because you'll get a small sense of what science does...explain the universe to us in useful and interesting ways.
July 6, 2009
Beginning with the Brooklyn brownstone and ending with the travertine on the walls of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Williams traverses the country on a geologic expedition to explain the origins of the urban American landscape. A few of the outstanding moments along the way include poet Robinson Jeffers granite masterpieces, Tor House and Hawk Tower, in Carmel, California; a gas station fashioned out of petrified wood in Lamar, Colorado; an art deco telephone building with the ground floor facade sheathed in Morton gneiss, a dramatic, dark, swirly stone; the massive coquina fort in St. Augustine, Florida; and the ubiquitous Salem (Indiana) Limestone, which sheaths many a government building in Washington, D.C.
Personal stories from the author abound, linking the chasms of New York with the canyons of Utah. Williams also has a talent for making geology terminology understandable. There is an avidity in these pages, which is very satisfying to anyone with a box of rocks buried in the back of their closet. Entertaining and -dare I say it? -educational, this book give the reader a new way to relate to the natural world through an appreciation of stone. Highly recommended.
Personal stories from the author abound, linking the chasms of New York with the canyons of Utah. Williams also has a talent for making geology terminology understandable. There is an avidity in these pages, which is very satisfying to anyone with a box of rocks buried in the back of their closet. Entertaining and -dare I say it? -educational, this book give the reader a new way to relate to the natural world through an appreciation of stone. Highly recommended.
February 10, 2010
Williams, David B. STORIES IN STONE: Travels Through Urban Geology. New York: Walker & Company, 2009.
For anyone interested in deepening their experience of cities, seeing beneath the skins of urban architecture, or learning more about the how these skins were formed and came to be used in cities, I recommend the book, STORIES IN STONE: Travels Through Urban Geology. The ten chapters on Brownstone, Granite, Carmel Granite, Minnesota Gneiss, Florida Coquina, Indiana Limestone, Colorado Petrified Wood, Carrara Marble, East Coast Slate and Italian Travertine represent a range of urban and barely urban settings through which many travelers are likely to pass on vacations, weekend get-aways or business trips.
Published in Smithsonian, High Country News, Science World, Earth magazine, and the Seattle Times, David B. Williams has been a national park ranger, a curriculum writer for the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and a geology programs teacher at the North Cascades Institute. His previous books are The Seattle Street-smart Naturalist and A Naturalist’s Guide to Canyon Country. He now writes, reads, hikes and bikes in Seattle with his wife Marjorie Kittle. And it was Marjorie Kittle’s decision to pursue a Master’s degree that triggered the writing of STORIES IN STONE. “…we moved to Boston. I hated the first few months. Where I had once traipsed through quiet sandstone canyons, surrounded by thousand-foot-tall cliffs of rock, I now walked through shadowy canyons created by buildings. Where I once hiked on desolate trails, I now crossed busy streets. For the first time in many years I felt disconnected from the natural world. And then I noticed Boston’s buildings….”
Each of the ten chapters describes the geologic story of its chosen stone, starting with brownstone’s 200 million year old beginnings and ending with the more recently quarried Italian travertine dating to 200,000 years ago. Williams cites buildings and blocks of buildings erected from the earliest days of the republic to the contemporary Getty Museum. He discusses the places where the stone was found as well as the men who quarried it. The triumph and, in some cases, the decline of each of the stones as reigning building materials is surveyed.
I am not an educator and am only vaguely aware of the intricacies of curriculum development. If I did have those responsibilities, I might very well use David B. Williams’ STORIES IN STONE as a basis for encouraging students to discover or explore their interests in the sciences, natural history, geology, hydrology, biology, in history, Michelangelo’s use of Carrara marble, John Quincy Adam’s controversial introduction of slate to the White House, and in culture, the significances people have attributed to the use of various kinds of stone, the industrialization of quarrying. STORIES is not without its share of repeatable stories; I share only one: “Smitten with tracks, Hitchcock started collecting them himself. He always wore his black suit and tie when out in the field, although often he would sneak home late at night because he recognized that digging and transporting tracks was ‘not comporting with the dignity of a professor.’ He even found and made a cast of tracks from a sidewalk on Greenwich street in Manhattan. Hitchcock later wrote that casting the Greenwich tracks almost landed him in the local asylum: A former student saved him when she testified that he was ‘no more deranged than such men usually are.’”
For anyone interested in deepening their experience of cities, seeing beneath the skins of urban architecture, or learning more about the how these skins were formed and came to be used in cities, I recommend the book, STORIES IN STONE: Travels Through Urban Geology. The ten chapters on Brownstone, Granite, Carmel Granite, Minnesota Gneiss, Florida Coquina, Indiana Limestone, Colorado Petrified Wood, Carrara Marble, East Coast Slate and Italian Travertine represent a range of urban and barely urban settings through which many travelers are likely to pass on vacations, weekend get-aways or business trips.
Published in Smithsonian, High Country News, Science World, Earth magazine, and the Seattle Times, David B. Williams has been a national park ranger, a curriculum writer for the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and a geology programs teacher at the North Cascades Institute. His previous books are The Seattle Street-smart Naturalist and A Naturalist’s Guide to Canyon Country. He now writes, reads, hikes and bikes in Seattle with his wife Marjorie Kittle. And it was Marjorie Kittle’s decision to pursue a Master’s degree that triggered the writing of STORIES IN STONE. “…we moved to Boston. I hated the first few months. Where I had once traipsed through quiet sandstone canyons, surrounded by thousand-foot-tall cliffs of rock, I now walked through shadowy canyons created by buildings. Where I once hiked on desolate trails, I now crossed busy streets. For the first time in many years I felt disconnected from the natural world. And then I noticed Boston’s buildings….”
Each of the ten chapters describes the geologic story of its chosen stone, starting with brownstone’s 200 million year old beginnings and ending with the more recently quarried Italian travertine dating to 200,000 years ago. Williams cites buildings and blocks of buildings erected from the earliest days of the republic to the contemporary Getty Museum. He discusses the places where the stone was found as well as the men who quarried it. The triumph and, in some cases, the decline of each of the stones as reigning building materials is surveyed.
I am not an educator and am only vaguely aware of the intricacies of curriculum development. If I did have those responsibilities, I might very well use David B. Williams’ STORIES IN STONE as a basis for encouraging students to discover or explore their interests in the sciences, natural history, geology, hydrology, biology, in history, Michelangelo’s use of Carrara marble, John Quincy Adam’s controversial introduction of slate to the White House, and in culture, the significances people have attributed to the use of various kinds of stone, the industrialization of quarrying. STORIES is not without its share of repeatable stories; I share only one: “Smitten with tracks, Hitchcock started collecting them himself. He always wore his black suit and tie when out in the field, although often he would sneak home late at night because he recognized that digging and transporting tracks was ‘not comporting with the dignity of a professor.’ He even found and made a cast of tracks from a sidewalk on Greenwich street in Manhattan. Hitchcock later wrote that casting the Greenwich tracks almost landed him in the local asylum: A former student saved him when she testified that he was ‘no more deranged than such men usually are.’”
August 13, 2013
I really liked this. It was a neat way to look at different types of rocks and I'll be looking at old buildings in a different way now (not that I'll be able to identify anything but it will be fun to pretend that I can).
January 3, 2012
This was not quite as general as I would have liked, but I did pick up some interesting and generally applicable bits.
May 7, 2017
I read a review of this book in an archived Earth magazine. The basic idea is: 1. A stone and its recent architectural history, 2. The stone's geologic history, 3. People who interacted with the stone.
I found myself looking up images of the various structures mentioned as I read. I have been to many of the places and seen the stones in their contexts, but would like to see many more.
I like the variety of stones presented. I will be holding on to this book for a while.
I found myself looking up images of the various structures mentioned as I read. I have been to many of the places and seen the stones in their contexts, but would like to see many more.
I like the variety of stones presented. I will be holding on to this book for a while.
January 14, 2020
Beautifully written and wide-ranging story of the author's love affair with stone. More specifically stone that people have utilized for hundreds or thousands of years in constructing, beautifying, or making into useful objects. My only complaint is that there are so few photographs, and none are in color.
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March 8, 2021This book is packed with geological, historical, and architectural information. I won't remember every detail but I'll forever scrutinize every stone building I see. Maybe even with a magnifying glass, vinegar, or scanning electron microscope.
David's a friend and I know his love of buildings, monuments—or really, any stone structure—is genuine. His enthusiasm is infectious.
David's a friend and I know his love of buildings, monuments—or really, any stone structure—is genuine. His enthusiasm is infectious.
June 19, 2021
Read this with my brother, a retired geologist. We both loved it. I liked how the author took us across the country to see different types of stone and explained so much about it. How it was quarried, how it was used in buildings and problems they ran in to or successes. I learned a lot and have a greater appreciate of things I see around me.
November 26, 2017
A. Swapped but would like to reread.
August 13, 2016
This turned out better than I expected.
First off, there is no way I would have ever picked this up had it not been for QuestScouts. This month's theme is "Rockin'" and the reading challenge was this book.
I am no geology nut. The intensive geological discussions were not the highlights for me. What I enjoyed was how the rocks were woven into the story of whatever place was being described. The epitome of this was the discussion of the Florida Coquina. But also enjoyable were the discussions of Brooklyn's brownstones, Michelangelo's marble, and Boston's granite.
Williams did an admirable job of bringing geology to the masses.
I was not into the chapter 4, Minnesota's gneiss. That had me put the book down for a couple days and read some other things.
Chapter was plodding along. The coquina was grabbing my attention when all of a sudden something really clicked for me.
This is the line that changed my outlook on life. If we are just living between ice ages, then ultimately the “things” of this Earth do not matter. They can’t as they will all be destroyed (as will we).
If there is to be meaning then, it must not be the “things”, it must be the “acts”.
That is life-altering!
Who knew that a book about rocks would change my outlook on life! If I can only keep this forefront in my daily living.
It kind of puts Al Gore's rantings, Donald Trump's protestations, the whining of the masses in perspective.
I am absolutely not the target audience for this book, but I thought it was all right. There were a couple of phrases that even caused me to guffaw. Definitely a good read.
First off, there is no way I would have ever picked this up had it not been for QuestScouts. This month's theme is "Rockin'" and the reading challenge was this book.
I am no geology nut. The intensive geological discussions were not the highlights for me. What I enjoyed was how the rocks were woven into the story of whatever place was being described. The epitome of this was the discussion of the Florida Coquina. But also enjoyable were the discussions of Brooklyn's brownstones, Michelangelo's marble, and Boston's granite.
Williams did an admirable job of bringing geology to the masses.
I was not into the chapter 4, Minnesota's gneiss. That had me put the book down for a couple days and read some other things.
Chapter was plodding along. The coquina was grabbing my attention when all of a sudden something really clicked for me.
We are in an intergalatical at present, meaning that the planet is between ice ages
This is the line that changed my outlook on life. If we are just living between ice ages, then ultimately the “things” of this Earth do not matter. They can’t as they will all be destroyed (as will we).
If there is to be meaning then, it must not be the “things”, it must be the “acts”.
That is life-altering!
Who knew that a book about rocks would change my outlook on life! If I can only keep this forefront in my daily living.
It kind of puts Al Gore's rantings, Donald Trump's protestations, the whining of the masses in perspective.
I am absolutely not the target audience for this book, but I thought it was all right. There were a couple of phrases that even caused me to guffaw. Definitely a good read.
February 17, 2017
A great read even though it is uneven having both fascinating parts and areas that are slow. I highly recommend "Stories in Stone" for all the wonderful information presented on the rocks used in our man-made environs.
September 9, 2010
An interesting though rambling look at the geology and history of ten major building stones. Some stones discussed, such as Carmel Granite and Florida Coquina, seem only to provide segues to the author's favorite poets or historical anecdotes, but most have surprisingly interesting back-stories.
Boston Granite (actually quarried in Quincy, Massachusetts) led to both the first commercial railroad in the US (in 1826) and the modern rediscovery of the "plug and feather" method of breaking apart hard stones that had been lost and re-invented at least since Egyptian times. Minnesota Gneiss, a metamorphic rock composed of basalt and other minerals, is one of the oldest on the planet at about 3.5 billion years old, though its "psychedelic swirls" are famous mainly for adorning 1920s Art Deco buildings. Indiana Limestone, "America's Building Stone," began taking off in the 1870s after the extension of the railroads, but really expanded in 1915 when a federal law required all post offices of a certain size to be clad in sandstone or limestone (of course the chair of the House Buildings and Grounds Committee, the Assistant Secretary in the Treasury Procurement Division, and the Senate Majority Leader all came from Indiana, which occasioned much complaint from congressman in other rock quarrying states).
Overall a good introduction to basic geology with some interesting anecdotes, but far too many non sequitors and irrelevant musings.
Boston Granite (actually quarried in Quincy, Massachusetts) led to both the first commercial railroad in the US (in 1826) and the modern rediscovery of the "plug and feather" method of breaking apart hard stones that had been lost and re-invented at least since Egyptian times. Minnesota Gneiss, a metamorphic rock composed of basalt and other minerals, is one of the oldest on the planet at about 3.5 billion years old, though its "psychedelic swirls" are famous mainly for adorning 1920s Art Deco buildings. Indiana Limestone, "America's Building Stone," began taking off in the 1870s after the extension of the railroads, but really expanded in 1915 when a federal law required all post offices of a certain size to be clad in sandstone or limestone (of course the chair of the House Buildings and Grounds Committee, the Assistant Secretary in the Treasury Procurement Division, and the Senate Majority Leader all came from Indiana, which occasioned much complaint from congressman in other rock quarrying states).
Overall a good introduction to basic geology with some interesting anecdotes, but far too many non sequitors and irrelevant musings.
July 1, 2009
I would actually go with 4.5 for this book, which I wish had been around when I had Geology 101 class in college. In Geology 101, the stone we studied seemed dead, whereas Williams brings stone to life and gives life to stone.
Williams does a terrific job of tying stone to people and injecting social history into Geology. And for this I thank him, because I can't really connect to a subject without this relationship. This book isn't just about geologic forces that happened millions of years ago, it's about American and European history, literature, space exploration, the Industrial Revolution, and this list could go on and on.
However, what struck me most while reading this book is the range of forces that can affect the formation of stone. What I've previously taken for granted (or granite, ha ha), could have happened quite differently. For example, I grew up in a region with tons of limestone, and I had always considered this limestone to be there because it was there. I now have so much more insight as to why it's there, and a greater appreciation for the events and forces that led to the formation of the limestone.
My favorite chapter in Stories in Stone is the last one, which connects Italian travertine to life on Mars. I won't write anymore because I don't want to spoil it, but I was amazed at this almost accidental connection.
Williams does a terrific job of tying stone to people and injecting social history into Geology. And for this I thank him, because I can't really connect to a subject without this relationship. This book isn't just about geologic forces that happened millions of years ago, it's about American and European history, literature, space exploration, the Industrial Revolution, and this list could go on and on.
However, what struck me most while reading this book is the range of forces that can affect the formation of stone. What I've previously taken for granted (or granite, ha ha), could have happened quite differently. For example, I grew up in a region with tons of limestone, and I had always considered this limestone to be there because it was there. I now have so much more insight as to why it's there, and a greater appreciation for the events and forces that led to the formation of the limestone.
My favorite chapter in Stories in Stone is the last one, which connects Italian travertine to life on Mars. I won't write anymore because I don't want to spoil it, but I was amazed at this almost accidental connection.
January 13, 2010
I had expected this book to be more about the use of stone in design and construction; although it IS about that, it delves much more into the geology of stone used in buildings. The author uses a particular building or type of building (the Getty Art Museum or brownstone row houses, for example) to discuss the building material of choice and how it came to be. So in the first chapter you learn all about the sandstone known as brownstone and how it came to be, as well as how it became the stone of choice for Fifth Avenue mansions as well as the classic urban row house. One thing I learned about was "quarry sap", which refers to the moisture that saturates sandstone. The stone is removed from the ground only to be buried again with soil; the stone has to be seasoned (dried out) before it can be used and the soil accomplishes this. It also causes minerals to be deposited on the outside surface of the stone block, which has the effect of sealing the stone, making it stronger and more impervious to weathering.
This book was fascinating in its detail; it made me want to run right out to see all these old quarries, buildings, sculptures, whatever - to see them myself.
This book was fascinating in its detail; it made me want to run right out to see all these old quarries, buildings, sculptures, whatever - to see them myself.
September 7, 2009
As a geologist I was very interested to read this book. As I study marine sediments, I spend most of my time locked in a cave like office staring at a microscope and not interacting with geology in the field. I loved the concept of this book of being able to reconnect with the earth through observing the buildings around us. I also really enjoyed reading interviews with people I know! It definitely made the book feel more legit to have expert opinions.
Now for the review: This book focuses on ten times of rock and tells the geology and history of each as a building material. The format of one rock per chapter is great and makes the books easier to read. The geology is presented in simple and understandable terms. If you have a geology background there is nothing new there, but it is nice to see someone write geology for nongeologists. There is a lot history of the rocks as well. The sections on how the rock is quarried can be a bit long and boring, but the stories of who quarried the rock and for what purpose are very interesting. I really wish there were colored photos of rocks as well. Overall this book is very interesting and definitely worth reading.
Now for the review: This book focuses on ten times of rock and tells the geology and history of each as a building material. The format of one rock per chapter is great and makes the books easier to read. The geology is presented in simple and understandable terms. If you have a geology background there is nothing new there, but it is nice to see someone write geology for nongeologists. There is a lot history of the rocks as well. The sections on how the rock is quarried can be a bit long and boring, but the stories of who quarried the rock and for what purpose are very interesting. I really wish there were colored photos of rocks as well. Overall this book is very interesting and definitely worth reading.
December 2, 2015
A very enjoyable journey. "Slow down and look more carefully..." says Mr. Williams and that's what he does as he visits and examines several classic stone building materials. You know these materials (brownstone, slate, etc.) because we have all seen them. But you may not have really experienced them until you have looked deeper. This is what this fine book provides. I enjoyed the wonderful connections that Mr. Williams orchestrates with these stone building materials. For each type stone he weaves a thread through history, poetry, architecture, art, culture, scientific principals, practical understanding etc. The book reads like a wonderful travel guide that stimulates your curiosity and yields not only insight but a occasional laugh along the way. I'm a High School science teacher and plan to use several of the geological connections to culture in my lessons. An engaging accessible read for anyone interested in history, science or the practical understanding of building with stone.
June 14, 2009
I'm a First Reads winner! Happy June to me! I'm so excited about this book!!!
My Review:
This book reminded me of all the reasons I love Geology. David Williams did a great job of mixing the modern world with the mysteries and wonder of the natural Earth. All said and done, I spent a lot of time thinking about how geology integrated into everyday life and everyday life being connected more to nature and history.
The writing style was light and engaging while still being educational and descriptive. The only improvements I'd ask for are colored pictures and a map with locations (travel guide?).
I will give the disclaimer that I was a Geology major in college so a lot of the references were familiar to me but I still think this would be a great read for any traveler/weekend nature lover. I was amazed by how much I learned about already famous locations and buildings I've heard about my whole life.
I really enjoyed this book!
My Review:
This book reminded me of all the reasons I love Geology. David Williams did a great job of mixing the modern world with the mysteries and wonder of the natural Earth. All said and done, I spent a lot of time thinking about how geology integrated into everyday life and everyday life being connected more to nature and history.
The writing style was light and engaging while still being educational and descriptive. The only improvements I'd ask for are colored pictures and a map with locations (travel guide?).
I will give the disclaimer that I was a Geology major in college so a lot of the references were familiar to me but I still think this would be a great read for any traveler/weekend nature lover. I was amazed by how much I learned about already famous locations and buildings I've heard about my whole life.
I really enjoyed this book!
July 7, 2015
A pleasant surprise. I listened to this book on my Audible account. I found myself listening to chapters more than once as I found the information interesting. The author's dry wit was an added bonus to this book.
I have recently visited the Castillo de San Marcos which is profiled in this book due to its unique construction and utilization of coquina stone. The information I gleaned from this book as a perfect primer for the visit. I would like to visit many of the other buildings profiled. As a matter of fact, I have a new found interest in quarries; and their location as an antecedent for the development of the United States.
Interesting and well-written book. A unique way to experience architecture, location and geography. I will be looking at buildings from a new perspective.
I have recently visited the Castillo de San Marcos which is profiled in this book due to its unique construction and utilization of coquina stone. The information I gleaned from this book as a perfect primer for the visit. I would like to visit many of the other buildings profiled. As a matter of fact, I have a new found interest in quarries; and their location as an antecedent for the development of the United States.
Interesting and well-written book. A unique way to experience architecture, location and geography. I will be looking at buildings from a new perspective.
Read
June 27, 2009Historical use of stone in architecture,the geological terms of the types of stone. More importantly I learned stories behind the stone. This book helped me to realize there is more to the stones surrounding a building, on the street, at a graveyard,and fossilized of things that has happened centuries ago locked forevermore inside the stone. The book helped me to think of the people behind the laying of these stones, the hours they put in building these archtecture wonders of the world. Also helped me to see there is also encarvings in stone,that change the stone into a work of art. Stones do have stories.
September 15, 2009
I haven't been able to make it through this book, so I'm putting it down for a bit to try again later. It's an interesting approach to the geology all around us in buildings, and I will definitely give it another go in the future. I have an advance review copy, so perhaps this issue is resolved in the production copy, but I really wanted many more color photographs to go along with the text, and perhaps some additional figures - in many instances a single good figure or photo would have done wonders for illustrating a concept for the new-to-geology reader.
March 10, 2012
Williams' style is very human and even funny in parts. I loved my Geology 101 class in college, and this book is aimed pretty much at people like me, non-geologists who still are interested in the underlying structure & story of the rock we see all around us.
The book could benefit from some figures to illustrate some of the geological processes described (I kind of remember them from 101, but other readers might not), and from better-quality photographs (and possibly color photos). (I have a review copy, so the photos are probably better in the real thing.)
The book could benefit from some figures to illustrate some of the geological processes described (I kind of remember them from 101, but other readers might not), and from better-quality photographs (and possibly color photos). (I have a review copy, so the photos are probably better in the real thing.)
February 19, 2010
This unusual book is an interesting mix - a bit of geology, a bit of architecture, a bit of history, a bit of cultural anthropology. The author takes a look at the use of various types of stones used as building materials and considers the circumstances and people that made different types of stones popular as building materials in several different places. No particular knowledge of geology is necessary in order to enjoy this book.
October 20, 2009
I've never given much thought to the stone used in buildings, and I am enjoying reading about the different types of stone and the differences in various geographic regions. The structure of the book makes it very easy to pick it up and read any particular chapter of interest. For example, I'm familiar with the term "brownstones" in New York, but I had no idea what that was based on. I started with that chapter and it was a great introduction to the book.
August 18, 2010
This is a great book - makes walking down a city street that much more interesting when you know a bit about the building materials! I got lost a few times in the descriptions of quarrying, but that is more how my mind works than with how the author described the process. Very good and makes me wish I could take one of his urban naturalist walks in Seattle!
June 24, 2014
Tons of information you never knew you were curious about. I meant to skim this book, just picking it up at the library on a whim, but it was too fascinating to give it up so lightly. It only loses one star for not having any good pictures or maps - too much visual information to rely on my imagination.
November 22, 2016
This is a book about the stones that are used in buildings. It talks about where they come from, how they were formed, why they are used and the people associated with them. There are a few black and white pictures to help the reader visualize the rocks but I think more pictures would have helped me understand what the author was talking about better.
April 15, 2012
My favorite chapter was on coquina, in which the series of predecessors to the fort of San Marco at St. Augustine Florida read just like the Herbert's father's castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
March 2, 2010
Well researched and in some spaces shining writing. The chapter on brownstones was very interesting. The connections the author makes from Rome to the Getty to Mars were also quite nice.
February 13, 2012
A great read for anyone in a city of brownstones - Chicago, Boston, New York.
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