Listed below are some of my favorite informative and inspiring books about working with stone in the home and garden.

STONE PRIMER, Charles McRaven, Storey Books 2007. Congratulations to the author, his featured Rock Stars and other honorable mentions in a publication that currently sets the bar for books on working with stone. Unprecedented in its scope, this book presents everything from the most basic information to an incredible showcase of some of the current artists and masters of the stone trade.

STONE IN THE GARDEN, Gordon Hayward, W. W. Norton & Company 2001. Beautiful photography and an abundance of highly detailed illustrations fill the pages of this impressive book.  Loaded with practical design information and stone features for the landscape.

IRISH STONE WALLS, Patrick McAfee, O'Brien Press 1997. Forty years of experience qualifies Patrick to instruct us on the finer points of mortared and dry stone masonry. Ample illustrations and knowledgeable advice on freestanding and retaining walls including profiles, foundations, stone selection, stacking, capping and coping.

IN THE COMPANY OF STONE 'The Art of the Stone Wall', Dan Snow, Artisan/ New York 2001. Strictly dry stone masonry in this retrospective on Dan Snow's work. Set in Vermont, the stunning stonework and beautiful photography of Peter Mauss make this large format book one that invites you to step into Snow's world of stone and poetic writing.

THE ART AND CRAFT OF STONESCAPING 'Setting and Stacking Stone', David Reed, Lark Books 1998. Malaprops bookstore's best selling book for 1998 "Thank you Asheville". Also, THE ART AND CRAFT OF STONEWORK 'Dry Stacking, Mortaring, Paving, Carving, Gardenscaping', David Reed, Lark Books 2001. Both of my books are filled with a wealth of how to information, interesting projects, color photography, and detailed illustrations,

BUILDING STONE WALLS, John Vivian, Storey Books 1976. This inexpensive, classic little book has all the basic information to start building a wall, ample illustrations, black and white photography.

STONE BY DESIGN 'The Artistry of Lew French', Lew French, Gibbs Smith Publishing 2005. French's stonework lends credence to this remarkable craft as an art form. Remarkable material, split granite, ancient weathered fieldstone and smooth colorful stones from the coast of Maine. The work of a master mason presented in this captivating book.
 
THE GARDENS OF JAPAN, Teiji ltoh, Kodansha International 1984. The Japanese aesthetic, the reverence of stone, and the serenity of their gardens are all here. There are many books on Japanese gardens this is one of my favorites.

MOSS GARDENING 'Including Lichens, Liverworts, and Other Miniatures', George Schenk, Timber Press 1997. I include this wonderful full color book because so often moss and stone compliment each other. Engaging text, garden images from around the world, propagation techniques and more.

STONE, Andy Goldsworthy, Abrams 1994. Stone and landscape converge in artful expression. Goldsworthy's work will certainly engage your appreciation of stone and nature.

WEB SITES:
Stone Tools / trowandholden.com Premier stone tool company
Dry Stone Conservancy / drystone.org Preservation and training
Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain / dswa.org.uk
Stone Foundation and Stonexus magazine / stonefoundation.org

ZINE:
Stonexus Magazine bi-annual publication of the Stone Foundation - tour the world of stone through informative articles about the ancient and current wondrous creations in stone.  Check stonefoundation.org.

DVDs:
Rivers and Tides 'Working with Time', Andy Goldsworthy - DocuRama 2004. Stone is present here, though so are many other natural materials that fill Goldsworthy's palette. Imagery that touches the soul. A must see DVD!

How To Build Stone Retaining Walls, Dry Stone Conservancy 2001. Just one in a series of videos on building with stone. Check drystone.org.