Stories in Stone

Travels through Urban Geology

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Rocks & Minerals, Art & Architecture, Architecture, Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings, Science, Earth Sciences, Geology
Cover of the book Stories in Stone by David B. Williams, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David B. Williams ISBN: 9780295746470
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: August 27, 2019
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: David B. Williams
ISBN: 9780295746470
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: August 27, 2019
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book Roots and Reflections by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Fighting for the Enemy by David B. Williams
Cover of the book City of Virtues by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Warnings against Myself by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Disquiet by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Toward a Sustainable Whaling Regime by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Forest Guardians, Forest Destroyers by David B. Williams
Cover of the book The Republic of Nature by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Neighbor Power by David B. Williams
Cover of the book What Is Art For? by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Chinese Encounters in Southeast Asia by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Japan's Commission on the Constitution by David B. Williams
Cover of the book Lijiang Stories by David B. Williams
Cover of the book On Sacred Ground by David B. Williams
Cover of the book The Nature of Borders by David B. Williams
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy