Natural Stone Resources for Historical Monuments (Geological Society Special Publication)

Natural stone is considered to be a versatile, durable and aesthetically pleasing building material. From the beginning of civilization, important structures and monuments have been built from, or based on, natural stone. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the use of local stone resources was mostly in balance with the local environment. Strict environmental legislation has resulted in the closing of many long-standing quarries in industrialized countries, which has led to a shortage of traditional stone varieties. This has caused problems for restoration practice. Cheap, imported stone from less industrialized countries has become more widely available in recent years. Some of the issues related to built stone conservation and restoration covered by this volume are: the establishment of inventories of possible replacement stones; understanding the decay mechanism and use of preventive conservation methods for slowing down decay processes; evaluation of the properties of natural stone; and assessing the risks of using replacement stones of different qualities.

The Geological Society of London

Founded in 1807, the Geological Society of London is the oldest geological society in the world, and one of the largest publishers in the Earth sciences.

The Society publishes a wide range of high-quality peer-reviewed titles for academics and professionals working in the geosciences, and enjoys an enviable international reputation for the quality of its work.

The many areas in which we publish in include:

-Petroleum geology
-Tectonics, structural geology and geodynamics
-Stratigraphy, sedimentology and paleontology
-Volcanology, magmatic studies and geochemistry
-Remote sensing
-History of geology
-Regional geology guides

This book illustrates a broad spectrum of aspects which should be kept in mind, when working with historical building stones. Thus geology turns out as a discipline connecting architecture, history, meteorology and many other aspects of science. --Thomas Hofmann, Library & Publishing, Geological Survey of Austria
Featured in Gabhandlungen Der Geologischen Bundesanstalt, November 2010

This book ends with a comprehensive index, which allows easy navigation through the contents. Each paper ends with numerous references, which will allow the reader to move above and beyond what is reported here to related areas of research. The well-written papers, in crisp easy-flowing language, are amply supported by numerous figures. It is a pity that some of the photographs are either too small or not sufficiently clear to suitably support the written text.

As a snapshot in time of research on natural stone used in historical monuments, this book is well worth reading by geologists and other scientists who study materials used in historical buildings and the mechanisms of their deterioration. Professionals seeking new sources of building stone, and stone for replacement purposes, should also find this volume useful. --Review by JoAnn Cassar
This review was featured in QJEGH vol 45