Natural stonescapes The art and craft of stone placement

Intended for both garden enthusiasts and landscape designers, this book starts with a history of and the authors' fascination with stones, citing such artifacts of particular interest as the giant stone heads on Easter Island and Stonehenge in England. The authors then explain stones' roles in landscape (which include framing, contrast, depth, diversity, and backdrop) and how to analyze the site to be landscaped. They give data on planning the placement of stones aesthetically, on choosing and finding stones, and on the tools and techniques needed to move large boulders (safety first is the key). There's a chapter explaining the process of stone placement--with three examples--and one offering design ideas. The text is augmented by 64 pages of color photographs and many black-and-white illustrations. --George Cohen