Below is a list of some books we like and are happy to recommend to stone walling enthusiasts and lovers of all things stone.

Dry Stone Walling

• by Alan Brooks and Sean Adcock (Elizabeth Agate ed.)  
• 159 pages  
• A4 paperback, wiro-bound  
• 391 illustrations, by Linda Francis and Elizabeth Agate  
• ISBN 0 946752 19 2  
• First published 1977  
• Last revision 1999  
•  Dry stone walling is one of the most ancient building techniques, used worldwide where stone outcrops at the earth's surface. Britain's varied geology has produced a wide range of building styles, which demonstrate the waller's skill in making the best use of the locally available stone. The latest edition, revised by BTCV member and master craftsman Sean Adcock, gives detailed but clear advice on all aspects of the walling craft. This includes information on the many regional styles of walling and their associated features, such as stiles, smoots and boles. As well as walls, dry stone can be used to build pillars, cairns, arches, steps, butts and other features, all of which are described and illustrated.

To buy go to: BTCV.org.uk

Stone by Besign: The Artistry of Lew French

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs M. Smith Inc; Reprint edition (25 Nov 2005)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1586854437
• ISBN-13: 978-1586854430

French, a Minnesota native who lives in Martha's Vineyard, works in a variety of types of stone, all uncut, to create chimneys, hearths, walls, and other spaces and parts of rooms. A number of his commissions are profiled in this volume, with many color photos. The volume is oversize (9.25x11.25<">); it is not indexed. Annotation 2005 Book News, In

The Andy Goldsworthy Project

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; Reprint edition (12 April 2010)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0500238715
• ISBN-13: 978-0500238714

Review

A fifth-generation stonemason discusses how to choose stone, build a wall on sloping ground, circular walls, windowsills, fireplaces, stairs, arches and hunchbacked bridges. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Building with Stone by Charles McRaven

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Storey Books; 2nd Revised edition edition (1 Sep 1989)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0882665502
• ISBN-13: 978-0882665504

Demonstrates the masonry skills and procedures needed for building walls, steps, foundations, fireplaces, chimneys, dams, bridges, and homes.

Stone Primer by Charles McRaven

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Storey Books (30 July 2007)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1580176704
• ISBN-13: 978-1580176705

Stone brings a timeless elegance to interior and exterior design. Stone is both stylish and classic. It brings solid tradition to contemporary settings and adds a flair of minimalism to traditional surroundings. An elemental substance that brings beauty and permanence wherever it is used, stone is at home everywhere. Charles McRaven, a dedicated stonemason for more than 50 years, brings his practical experience and deep respect for the material to "The Stone Primer", the essential guide for homeowners interested in adding stone to any setting, indoors or out. Here is everything readers will want to consider when beginning a do-it-yourself project, hiring a professional stonemason to carry out a difficult design, or simply planning and dreaming in stone. Know the properties of common types of stone. Choose, collect, and move the right stones for the project. Place them in perfect layers, make them fit with the proper tools, and learn the basics of drystacking and mortaring. McRaven covers it all in detaiied how-to chapters, embellished with anecdotes, historical titbits, and profiles of noted masons.

Stonework by Charles McRaven

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Storey Books (Oct 1997)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0882669761
• ISBN-13: 978-0882669762

Includes instructions for creating such projects as retaining walls, entryways, stone bridges, and stone steps, discussing the types of stones and their sources; handling, shaping and cutting stones; and selecting the appropriate stone for a project.

Walls: Elements of Garden and Landscape Architecture

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co. (8 April 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0393732940
• ISBN-13: 978-0393732948

Fundamental elements of garden and landscape architecture, walls define borders, create spaces and provide protection. This book introduces the rich design potential of this structural element, offering a systematic set of guidelines and an inspiring store of models for designers, builders, horticulturists and landscape architects.

The Stars and the Stones: Ancient Art and Astronomy in Ireland

ISBN-10: 0500012954 | ISBN-13: 978-0500012956 | Publication Date: March 1984 | Edition: 1

Some of the earliest dry stone builders of Ireland practised art, ritual and astronomy and these same people have left us a fantastical legacy that is Ireland's Megalithic Art Collection. 

These Dry Stone builders knew how to construct corbelled roof structures that would survive the ages to now inspire awe in the present day Irish Dry Stone Waller. And all of this without the use of steel tools. Stone to stone. Our dry stone heritage is indeed rich and far reaching in time.

The Neolithic farmers of Ireland's Boyne Valley were Spiritual Stone Shifters. The stone used to construct all of the monuments associated with the Boyne Valley complex was transported (most likely along the Boyne River) from long distances away; as is not geologically local to the area. 

Martin Brennan's book is recommended reading for this reason. Maybe the images will inspire you? Maybe the obvious connections to astrology will intrigue you? But surely as a dry stone enthusiast this book will make you want to visit these places and maybe come up with ideas of dry stone projects of your own?  

BTW this book is a hard one to track down at a reasonable price, but it can be bought on amazon.com if you search hard enough and are prepared to wait. My copy came from a book market luckily enough. I felt a hint of archaeological discovery when I came across it and was compelled to pick it up, whereupon I was mesmerised yet again by the simple complexity of it all. 

Look for this book on www.amazon.com

The Carlow Fence

Author: Michael Conry

This simple Quaker-style granite fence is a unique feature of the Carlow landscape - found nowhere else in the world. It was erected mainly as a decorative fence around gardens and between fields. It addition to describing the methods of cleaving the long stone lintels and the construction of the single and two-tiered fences, the book also describes the granite Slab fence or Scotch fence, granite post fences and dry stone walls found in Co. Carlow.

For more info and to buy go to: The Michael Conry Bookstore

Dry Stone Walls of the Aran Islands: Exploring the Cultural Landscape

Author: Mary Laheen

The Aran Islands produced writers such as Liam O Flaherty and Tim Robinson who were inspired by their surroundings. The drystone-wall field-boundary system of the islands is one of Ireland's richest cultural landscapes, retaining remarkable continuity with the past - Celtic occupation, Christianity, invasion, famine and evictions - a unique combination of the forces of humankind and nature. Unlike other cultural landscapes around the world, the surface of the islands is almost entirely made by man. This book explores this landscape, which is threatened by the change. The author outlines the background history and factors that have influenced the landscape and looks at one ceathrú or quarter of a townland, a specific farm in that ceathrú, and the pattern of landholding and farming practised today. This book traces the threat to traditional methods and the agricultural landscape from changes in European and Irish farming.

To buy:www.amazon.co.uk

Stone Walls, Personal Boundaries

Author: Mariana Cook

"I photographed the wall. I made images of it in all seasons, of both the bits that were still upright and of the tumbled rocks, too. The appearance of each captivated me. I wondered about dry stone walls elsewhere. Over the next eight years, I traveled to places, quite arbitrarily, to see for myself: New England, Kentucky, Britain, Ireland, the Mediterranean, and Peru. Land itself does not know national or political bounds. Across these different regions, the deforested landscapes had been carved by human beings. In stony places everywhere, farmers built walls to contain their animals, remove stones from their arable fields, and define property. It took years for farmers to build their stone walls, but they did it with hard work, bit by bit, in the spirit of leaving a better home for the next generation."
Mariana Cook, excerpted from the introduction to Stone Walls

To buy: www.artbook.com

Carlow Granite; Years of History Written In Stone

Author: Michael Conry

With almost 70% of the country underlain by granite bedrock, it is not surprising that granite has made a huge contribution to the geology, landscape and agriculture of Co. Carlow. It has shaped the very lives of the people who inhabited the country for thousands of years.

From earliest times, people learned to use this excellent building stone for all kinds of artefacts, monuments, historic stones, walls and buildings, so that today it is difficult to find any object of antiquity within the country that has not been hewn from sparking granite.

The book endeavours to draw attention to the importance of granite stone in the lives of the people, the economy of the county and more importantly to the rich heritage it has bequeathed. 

Part 1, The Carlow Landscape, describes in some detail the influence of granite on the geology, geography, soils and agriculture of the county. Part 2, The Built Heritage, draws attention to the nature and variety of granite buildings, structures and artefacts in the county while Part 3, The Last of the Stonecutters, endeavours to record the names of the skilled stone-men who carried out this work.

For more info and to buy go to: The Michael Conry Bookstore

Irish Stone Walls

Author: Patrick McAffe
Publisher: O'Brien Press, Dublin
Synopsis: Stone walls are a remarkable & historic feature of the Irish landscape. This book describes their history, showing the uses of stone in Ireland through the ages in walls & buildings. Includes a how-to section.

Pat's book is widely available in all good bookshops, including Easons and can easily be ordered. Every library in the country will have a copy and failling that you could go to www.amazon.co.uk

Stone Buildings

Author; Patrick McAffee
Publisher: O'Brien Press, Dublin
Synopsis: Stone walls and buildings have a long history in the Irish landscape. This book describes their history, detailing vernacular buildings, arches, quantities and estimates of cost and materials, the lime process and its use in the construction and renovation of buildings. Includes a how-to section.

Again readily available. Try Easons, Waterstones, local bookshopsand libraries. If all else fails try www.amazon.co.uk

In The Company of Stone

Author: Dan Snow

How do you describe the perfect dry stone waller diary? How do you do justice to Dan's book when attempting to describe it to someone else? All I can say is this, honest, beautiful and inspriational. For the dry stone waller this book will have them nodding in agreement with everything he says,admiring his honesty and passion and envying his talent. A must have for the thinking dry stone waller.

To buy: amazon.com

 The Art and Craft of Stonescaping: Setting and Stacking Stone

Author: David Reed
Publisher: Sterling Pub Co Inc
Synopsis: The author starts by describing the tools of the trade, and then explains how to find, move, trim and stack or lay stone safely and efficiently. Projects include benches, culverts, steps and paths and are fully illustrated.

The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls

Author: Kevin Gardner
Publisher: Countryman
Synopsis: Kevin Gardner distills 25 years of experience in building and repairing New England-style dry stone walls into principles and practices that are adaptable to a wide variety of designs and circumstances. In addition to directions on building basic stone walls, he also demystifies steps, wells, ramps, walkways, and may other forms of dry masonry. Gardner also discusses the philosophy behind the repair and restoration of old walls, and gives the beginning wall builder ways to think about the place of the stone wall within the landscape.

Stone Upon Stone: The use of stone in Irish building

Author: Nicolas Ryan
Publisher: The Collins Press
Synopsis: A chronological sequence of stone use in Irish buildings.

Stone Mad

Author: Seamus Murphy
Publisher: Collins Press, Cork
Synopsis: A memoir of an Irish stonecarver's apprenticeship.

Design as Art

Author: Bruno Munari
Publisher: Penguin Global
Synopsis: How do we see the world around us? The Penguin on Design series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design and the media have changed our vision forever. Bruno Munari was among the most inspirational designers of all time, described by Picasso as 'the More...
new Leonardo'. Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use everyday. Lamps, road signs, typography, posters, children's books, advertising, cars and chairs - these are just some of the subjects to which he turns his illuminating gaze.

The Art and Craft of Stonework: Drystacking, Mortaring, Paving, Carving, Gardenscaping

Author: David Reed
Publisher: Lark Books
Synopsis: More than 300 outstanding photos highlight the expressiveness of stonework. Filled with artistic inspiration, instructions, recipes, and projects for both dry-stack and mortar techniques, this introduction will start you off on the right path. See how to find the perfect stone, and cut, score, split, and chip it. Transform the beautiful medium into classic projects: How to section includes: laying stepping stones, add a mortared veneer to a wall, construct a hearth and fireplace. Go beyond the practical and enjoy the creative pleasures of boulderscaping and carving two- or three-dimensional sculptures. Even repair old and broken walls.