Listening to Stone
by Dan Snow
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dan SnowPhotographer: Peter Mauss
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-01
ISBN: 1579653715
Number of pages: 145
Publisher: Artisan
Book Reviews of Listening to Stone
Book Review: Measure of the Man
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Reading the previous reviews of "Listening to Stone," reminded me of the old parable about the blind men evaluating an elephant. Each one describes a different experience depending upon where they are stationed about the animal. Each reviewer admires "Listening to Stone" depending upon their unique life experience.
Last summer, I completed a dry stack stone accent wall around two sides of my home requiring nine tons of stone delivered on five pallets. So I was prepared to admire the stonework. And I did. But after finishing my project and then finishing his book, what I most admired was the author, Dan Snow.
Its difficult for the inexperienced to imagine how much physical labor goes into a stone project like the ones described in this book. Everyone says Pharoah built the pyramids, but the slaves did all the work. First you have to find and prepare the site. Then you have to find the stone, acquire and deliver the stone to the site that probably isn't conveniently located. You have to excavate and install the foundation. The stone needs to be moved into position and arrayed in such a way that you have a wide variety from which to select the "pieces" that fit perfectly in the "puzzle." If you can't find a natural, you have to fabricate one to fit. You constantly have to remeasure for plumb, level, color, seams, edge fit, and contact. You go through many pairs of gloves. You use machines whenever you can, but the work is backbreaking. And the weather only sometimes cooperates. Mr. Snow must be an early riser, mentally driven, physically tough, and emotionally self-sufficient. It is difficult, lonely work.
And the results aren't forgiving. You leave behind a precise representation of the amount of effort invested. Under the pressure of time and money, did you persevere when you couldn't find just the right stone? Did you tear down and restack a section that took you hours to complete, because it wasn't as good as it could be? The work will tell everyone exactly what choices were made.
Perhaps his fees have risen now that his reputation is established and he has a large portfolio. But stonework isn't something you do for the money. You have to scrape, beg and borrow the resources you need to break even. Significant others and the children must make compromises for the lifestyle required by stonework, financially, emotionally, and physically (deterioration to the spine is inevitable).
Separate from the work, I was fascinated by the little events here and there that describe the character of Mr. Snow. When he found what he thought was a large meteorite one day in a rock pile, he gave it to the landowner, instead of keeping the thing (worth several years wages) for himself. His forays throughout the world describe someone with great curiosity. And the imagination of the designs are extraordinary. Inevitably at some point during the project, you sit back, wipe your brow and ask yourself, "How am I going to finish this?" I think there is some courage involved.
And there were a couple of pages where Mr. Snow talks about, in the context of his master dry waller certification, a project that partially fell apart when he failed to incorporate enough "through" pieces for stability. He showed the before and after (they were both stunningly beautiful pillars) in the context of saying that his skills are always growing, always improving, never perfect.
And he talks about people he has admired throughout his career, and some of the folks who have helped him in various phases of the jobs, including gathering the stone from mountain slopes. I thought it was classy to acknowledge all of his patrons at the end of the book.
So to me, this little book chronicles the intersection of the finest mental and physical toughness and creativity manifested in one man.
"Listening to Stone" is very worthy. No matter where you are standing in life, I think you'll enjoy it from your perspective.
Summary of Listening to Stone
A master craftsman provides us with the timeless wisdom he has gained from heaving and hewing stone.In his highly anticipated second book, Vermonter Dan Snow once again proves that he is not just one of America's premier artisans, but also one of our most articulate voices on the natural world and our relationship to it. Snow's medium is stone: He is the nation's premier drystone wall builder. Schooled in this ancient craft, he painstakingly creates structures as breathtaking as sculpture with nothing but gravity as their glue. In Listening to Stone, Peter Mauss's tactile photographs of Snow's artistry are matched by the artisan's quietly compelling prose.
In a voice as expressive as Annie Dillard's and as informed as John McPhee's, Snow demonstrates astonishing range as he touches on such subjects as geology, philosophy, and community. We learn that stone's grace comes from its unique characteristics?its capacity to give, its surprising fluidity, its ability to demand respect, and its role as a steadying force in nature. In these fast-paced times, Snow?s life's work offers an antidote: the luxury of patience, the bounty and quietude of nature, the satisfaction of sweat. "I work with stone," he ultimately tells us, "because stone is so much work."
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