Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface to the 2019 Edition vii
4. Preface to the Original Edition ix
5. 1 “The Most Hideous Stone Ever Quarried”—New York Brown stone 1
6. 2 The Granite City- Boston Granite 26
7. 3 Poetry in Stone- Carmel Granite 46
8. 4 Deep Time in Minnesota— Minnesota Gneiss 68
9. 5 The Clam That Changed the World—Florida Coquina 90
10. 6 America’s Building Stone Indiana Limestone 112
11. 7 Pop Rocks, Pilfered Fossils, and Phillips Petroleum— Colorado Petrified Wood 133
12. 8 The Trouble with Michelangelo’s Favorite Stone—Carrara Marble 152
13. 9 Reading, Writing, and Roofing—East Coast Slate 177
14. 10 “Autumn 20,000 Years Ago” Italian Travertine 199
15. Acknowledgments 223
16. Geologic Time Scale for Building Stone 226
17. Glossary 227
18. Notes 233
19. Index 251
20. About the Author 261