Chicago Botanic Garden

Education — Lenhardt Library

Current Books & Book Reviews

PHOTO: bookcover

Charles McRaven.
Stone Primer: Ideas and Techniques for Incorporating Stone
In and Around Your Home.
North Adams, Mass.: Storey Publishing, 2007.
paper, 271 pp., ISBN 978-1-58017-670-5, $24.95.

As a professional stonemason, author Charles McRaven, a skilled craftsman who finds inspiration in building with stone, shares his knowledge with readers in this guide to creating stone elements for the home and landscape. The text covers such subjects as selection of materials; mixing mortar; how to handle materials; designing stone structures; techniques in working with stone in a variety of outdoor and indoor features; carving stone; restoration work; and thoughts on choosing a professional for a job. Handsomely illustrated with drawings and photographs that include the work of prominent craft workers, this book provides its readers with insight into basic stone structures.

— Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden.