This text shows how to build a wall using the traditional method of dry stone masonry in which carefully selected stones are properly stacked and held together without mortar. As well as being beautiful, a dry stone wall is stronger, more stable and more resistant to climate than a mortared wall. More than 100 full colour photographs of walls, bridges and decorative garden elements in various steps of construction are presented as well as illustrations that show the steps and cross sections that highlight the building methods.

Dry stone walls are a critical component of the landscape in Switzerland and many other countries. They support the cultivation of agriculture and livestock, and they are also are also integral to the ecosystem. And, in many locations across Switzerland, they are in need of restoration by those with a thorough understanding of their roles and vast range of types and purposes. Drawing on the copious research and practice of the Swiss Environmental Action Fund, Dry Stone Walls is a uniquely comprehensive work on the topic, combining cultural history with a guide to plants and animals that find their habitat in such structures and a practical, step-by-step manual to the building and maintenance of dry stone walls. Richly illustrated with more than four hundred photographs and drawings, including many in color, the book contains a wealth of advice for both the planning of new dry stone walls and the care of existing ones, as well as information on structural analysis and the organization of building sites. The book will serve as a guide for future generations everywhere to this ancient practice that is in danger of extinction.

As he and his grandson walk along the stone walls surrounding his New England farm, an old man shares stories about the geologic history of the stones as well as some of the memories they hold for him.

Dry stone walling is one of the oldest of countryside crafts, and these attractive structures form one of the most striking features of the rural landscape, whether on upland pastures, fell or moorland. The author looks into the history and development of dry stone walling before demonstrating how to build a wall with step-by-step explanations accompanied by photographs and diagrams.

In 1871 there were 252,539 miles of stone walls in New England and New York enough to circle the earth ten times.

There once may have been 250,000 miles of stone walls in America's Northeast, stretching farther than the distance to the moon. They took three billion man-hours to build. And even though most are crumbling today, they contain a magnificent scientific and cultural story-about the geothermal forces that formed their stones, the tectonic movements that brought them to the surface, the glacial tide that broke them apart, the earth that held them for so long, and about the humans who built them. Stone walls layer time like Russian dolls, their smallest elements reflecting the longest spans, and Thorson urges us to study them, for each stone has its own story. Linking geological history to the early American experience, Stone by Stone presents a fascinating picture of the land the Pilgrims settled, allowing us to see and understand it with new eyes.

Join Bruce and Kristin Munday as they traverse South Australia in search of these walls, finding historic masterpieces and insights into rural life in the years following settlement. This book is rich with beautiful imagery of these walls, the stories behind them, and advice to inspire you to start building your own.

'This is a book about the stories we tell ourselves and one woman's determination to make hers true' Spectator 'A fresh . . . heartfelt book that . . . makes you want to throw away your mobile, run for the hills and learn a traditional craft' The Lady 'A spirited defence of manual labour' TLS At the age of twenty-six, Whitney Brown met a dry-stone waller. Within weeks she was out on the hill with him in Wales, learning the language of dry-stone walling. Far away from the pressures of her old life, she found deep satisfaction in working with her hands, in the age and heft of the stones, and the ring of the hammer. Out under the open sky, Whitney relished every sore muscle and smashed finger, opportunity to stand atop a wall she'd just built and feel like the strongest woman alive. Between Stone and Sky is a celebration of the raw and rugged splendour of the Welsh countryside and the enduring beauty and relevance of traditional craftsmanship. It is an unflinchingly honest account of the emotional struggle to become and belong. Most of all, it is an empowering story of female friendship, accepting uncertainty and risk, and crossing oceans in pursuit of dreams.