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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 to add it to my collection of "eclectic books of antique info"
It was as comfortable to read and follow as talking to a wise old uncle who always seems to be able to do anything. For instance I learned what a 'Gad-pry' bar was, that in the mid 70's it was fairly new and cost about $7.00. I am planning on building a stone wall and as I know nothing about the subject I recently purchased 4 great books. A quick web search found them for $23 to $29 today. It is full of practical advice. And it is full of other fun tidbits. However this one was almost like reading a novel.
After skimming through them all this is the one I read cover to cover the first afternoon. Each of the books I bought seemed to include something the others didn't and each seemed to miss somethings. Also reading this first seemed to make the others more 'understandable' for me. I reccomend it for anyone interested in the subject.
I purchased this book to get some basic knowledge before I attempted to build a small retaining wall in my front yard. I don't know how useful this book would be on a very complex project. The book gave me just enough knowledge to have the confidence to attempt and complete the job.
Charles McRaven's "Building Stone Walls" is much better. If you're looking for more detail on working with stone, McCraven's book is the one. Covers all the material and techniques that Vivians book does and more. Don't waste your time on this book.
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. 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). 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. 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. 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. He only supplies a few paragraphs on the construction of a retaining wall, though to be fair, what information he gives is practical. Five stars for useful, concise information in a very usable format. By itself, however, this would not have been enough to guide us through the project.
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