In the Company of Stone: The Art of the Stone Wall

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the company of stone

"Finding stone, choosing it, and letting go of it are the three things a waller does. I'd miss any one of them too much if I asked someone else to do them for me. I may work by myself, but I'm not alone. I'm in the company of stones."

Dan Snow is a waller, an artisan who builds walls, terraces, caverns, and the occasional sphere or pool out of dry stone. It's an ancient skill - building with only what the earth provides. No mortar, no nails, nothing to hold his creations together except gravity, an invisible glue he can sense in the stones' "conversations" of squeaks and rumbles. A hollow sound means a void needs to be filled; a solid fit is secured with the sound of a bolt being thrown.

Snow's evocative prose and Peter Mauss's richly textured photographs of Snow's work reveal the nuance and beauty of walling - and of one man's relationship with nature. The result is by turns poetic and practical.

Author Biography: Since 1976, DAN SNOW has been hand-building "one-of-a-kind" dry stone constructions for clients in New England and Great Britain. One of only a handful of Americans certified by the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain, he, and his creations, have been showcased in numerous publications, including This Old House, Garden Design, and American Nurseryman. He lives in Dummerston, Vermont.

PETER MAUSS specializes in photographing architecture, interior design, gardens, and landscapes, and his work is published in many magazines, including Architectural Record, The New York Times Magazine, Garden Design, and Metropolitan Home. His photographs were featured in the recent book Terra Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament. He lives in Vermont and New York.

SYNOPSIS

Snow's walls, photographed here in black and white and in color, are composed of unmortared stone, chiseled and set to fit walls ranging from round, to arched, to meandering. Some walls are objects more of form than function, though all of Snow's functional walls are formally beautiful. In other words, Snow is more artisan than artist. Some of Snow's meditations have an Eastern-abstract ring: "Walls...are carefully crafted containers that are always full and cannot be emptied." Other statements serve to enchant or animate stone: "My eyes urge on my hands, but the touching and gripping is the handshake of agreement for us [Snow and stone] to begin working together." Other statements sound more Western-functional, as when rock walls in the garden are said to moderate climate, deflect wind, slow evaporation and erosion, and hold heat. No notes or index. Oversize: 12x10.5".

Annotation © Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

House & Garden

Man's relationship with nature is the subtext of this exceptional book.

Book Fare