"What Michael Pollan did for food, Richard Rhodes has achieved, brilliantly, for the world of stone--a vivid, thrilling journey through a world where nature meets intelligence. Stone unspools a history that ranges across the world and through time, into fascinating secrets of art and architecture. The passion and clarity in this book will appeal to anyone who has wondered about what endures--and why." --Evan Osnos, winner of the National Book Award, author of Wildland: The Making of America''s Fury "Richard Rhodes'' Stone is a magisterial work which makes a lasting contribution to so many disciplines: sculpting, architecture, history of ideas, psychology, minerology, and many others. A working artist, Rhodes is also a student of human culture, and a commentor on the values implicit in the structures we build for ourselves." --James Hollis, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst and author, most recently of Living Between Worlds: Finding Resilience in Challenging Times "Rhodes succeeds in articulating both his extraordinary knowledge of the subject while embroidering it with deep philosophical and poetic insights.
He weaves in instructive narratives from his apprenticeship and professional practice with great humility, illustrating how he learned from these occasionally tough experiences. Most art historians like me as well as committed cultural tourists who take an active interest in the environments through which they wander while on vacation would find their visual experience immeasurably enhanced by having read this book. The extraordinary breadth of geographical locations the book offers to illustrate specific examples of masonry and architecture--whether urban or rustic, ancient or relatively recent, secular or sacred--vastly expands the book''s appeal. With uncommon erudition, Rhodes shares his deeply humanistic philosophy and strikes a judicious balance between addressing both the professional and the much-vaunted "general reader". I am that reader and I thoroughly enjoyed it." --Dr. Tom Flynn FRSA, is a London-based art historian, sculpture critic, and author. His best-known book, The Body in Three Dimensions , has been widely translated "Richard Rhodes''s book on stone is at once encyclopedic and poetic.
Richard literally circles the globe and travels through the ages to find the stones that are most expressive of the human soul. As he makes clear in these chapters, building stone is not just material--it is a living thing that can, if properly appreciated and respected, both shelter and inspire. I learned something new on every page, even about subjects like ancient Roman roads and Puglian trulli that I thought I knew a lot about. The writing is always engaging and the photos alone constitute a fascinating art/architectural history course. I have come to look at stone buildings, roads, arches, walls and bridges in a whole new light thanks to Richard''s guidance. This book truly reflects a lifetime of knowledge, travel, meditation, and hands-on experience with the hardest, most enduring, most expressive materials our planet affords." --David Laskin is the author of a number of award-winning nonfiction books, including The Children''s Blizzard and The Family . He writes frequently about Italy for the New York Times .
His first novel, What Sammy Knew , was published in March 2021 "Richard Rhodes'' Stone: Expression and Use in the Built Environment provides an intriguing perspective on a foundational material from a master builder and sculptor. This rigorously researched, thoughtfully assembled study of stone in architecture across the globe and throughout time seeks to reconnect modern readers to the ancient practice of stonework, guided by tradition and a deep understanding that goes far beyond aesthetics and ornamentation. I have always believed that the best work results from this kind of reciprocal relationship with craft and materiality; here, Rhodes brings his critical eye and wealth of experience to an examination of the artistry and essential qualities of stonework, as well as its widespread impact on our collective culture and values--and our collective legacy." --Tom Kundig, principal, Olson Kundig. Tom has received some of the world''s highest design honors, including a National Design Award in Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an election to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture.