Paperback / softback | |
August 13, 2019 | |
9780295746456 | |
English | |
272 | |
22 b&w illus. | |
9.25 Inches (US) | |
6.13 Inches (US) | |
.9 Pounds (US) | |
$24.95 USD, £18.99 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Stories in Stone
Travels through Urban Geology
Most people do not think to observe geology from the sidewalks of a major city, but all David B. Williams has to do is look at building stone in any urban center to find a range of rocks equal to any assembled by plate tectonics. In Stories in Stone, he takes you on explorations to find 3.5-billion-year-old rock that looks like swirled pink-and-black taffy, a gas station made of petrified wood, and a Florida fort that has withstood three hundred years of attacks and hurricanes, despite being made of a stone that has the consistency of a granola bar.
Williams also weaves in the cultural history of stone, explaining why a white fossil-rich limestone from Indiana became the only building stone used in all fifty states; how in 1825, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument led to America's first commercial railroad; and why when the same kind of marble used by Michelangelo clad a Chicago skyscraper it warped so much after nineteen years that all 44,000 panels of it had to be replaced. This love letter to building stone brings to life the geology you can see in the structures of every city.
Williams also weaves in the cultural history of stone, explaining why a white fossil-rich limestone from Indiana became the only building stone used in all fifty states; how in 1825, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument led to America's first commercial railroad; and why when the same kind of marble used by Michelangelo clad a Chicago skyscraper it warped so much after nineteen years that all 44,000 panels of it had to be replaced. This love letter to building stone brings to life the geology you can see in the structures of every city.
About the Author
Reviews
"Williams's lively mixture of hard science and piquant lore is sure to fire readers' curiosity about the built environment around us."—Publishers Weekly
"Each line of inquiry coaxes out some expressive scientific, emotional or philosophical nugget from a piece of travertine, slate or, in one Pop Art extravaganza, a gas station made of petrified wood. Makes stone sing."—Kirkus Reviews
"Stories in Stone is chock full of fascinating geologic tidbits . . . [but] how the geology is intercalated with the architectural and engineering aspects of building stone is really what this book is about and why it is a good read."—WIRED, reviewing a previous edition or volume
"Williams' record of human dreams worked in stone is as richly textured and full of life's imprints as a fossil-rich piece of travertine."—Booklist
Endorsements
"The more people live in cities, the less they see of the natural world. David Williams has neatly hacked this problem by using urban building stones as polished portals to intriguing stories about Earth's history."—Kirk Johnson, Sant Director, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
University of Washington Press | |
|
|
Paperback / softback | |
August 13, 2019 | |
9780295746456 | |
English | |
272 | |
22 b&w illus. | |
9.25 Inches (US) | |
6.13 Inches (US) | |
.9 Pounds (US) | |
$24.95 USD, £18.99 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles by David B. Williams
Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales
Elizabeth A. Nesbitt, David B. Williams
Oct 2023
- University of Washington Press
$24.95 USD
- Paperback / softback
The Boathouse
Leslie Jackson Chihuly, David B. Williams, William Warmus
Apr 2023
- Chihuly Workshop
$36.00 USD
- Hardback
Homewaters
David B. Williams
Sep 2022
- University of Washington Press
$29.95 USD
- Hardback
$19.95 USD
- Paperback / softback
Other Titles in ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / General
Mapping Chinese Rangoon
Jayde Lin Roberts, series edited byCharles F. Keyes, Laurie J. Sears, Vicente Rafael
Mar 2019
- University of Washington Press
$32.00 USD
- Paperback / softback
$105.00 USD
- Hardback
Beautiful by Design
WTIU
Aug 2018
- Indiana University Press
$25.00 USD
- DVD video
$18.00 USD
- DVD video