Stone: Ancient Craft to Modern Mastery

Coming June 10th, 2025

The relationship between humankind and stone is elemental and deeply ingrained in all of us. Stone, after all, has been the primary building material for more than five thousand years of human history, and it continues to record our triumphs and failures. In this searching history of the expressive and practical use of stone, Richard Rhodes unlocks the underlying principles of stone’s highest and best use, and he illuminates rules codified by the medieval freemason’s guild.

Century after century of stone use gradually produced the closely guarded Sacred Rules, as they are collectively known, considered tp be the most important property of the ancient stone guildsmen. Previously available only to the initiated, the rules are explained here for the first time ever, through historical examples and photographs. In our era of rapid development and expressive urbanization, Rhodes implores is to explore the essential qualities of stone that emerge from the Sacred Rules, not only to rediscover the ancient and traditional knowledge that governed the use of stone for so long but also to create a road map for hoe fitter generations might thoughtfully recapture the power this material offers.

Princeton Architectural Press

8 x 10, 272 Pages, Hardcover

174 Color Photographs from 29 Countriees

ISBN 978-1-7972-3008-5, $50

Preorder Stone, Ancient Practice to Modern Mastery

Stone Tour and Events

June 11, book available in stores

June 13, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM, SF AIA:  https://www.aiasf.org/events/richard-rhodes-book-signing- (Center for Architecture and Design, 140 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA)

June 14, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM, Tenino Stone Carver’s Guild: Tenino Stone Shed, 147 Olympia Ave., Tenino, WA)

June 17, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Seattle AIA (Center for Architecture and Design, 1010 Western Ave, Seattle)

June 25, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, Town Hall (Seattle)

June 26, 6:00 PM – 8:30, Private Party, Book Photo Exhibition, Domicile Gallery (4116 E Madison St, Seattle).

June 27, 6:00 PM – 8:30, Public Opening, Book Photo Exhibition, Domicile Gallery (4116 E Madison St, Seattle).  Show runs through July 5^th.

Advanced Praise for Stone

“What Michael Pollan did for food, Richard Rhodes has achieved, brilliantly, for the sorely 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.

Authors

A Sculptor, stones man, entrepreneur, and scholar of stonework worldwide, Richard Rhodes apprenticed as a stonemason in Siena, Italy. He is know throughout the sculpture and stone community as the “last apprentice” since the Freemason guild collapsed in the mid-1990’s. Rhodes is the founder of several Seattle-based businesses, including Rhodesworks Design Studio, Rhodes Masonry, and Rhodes Architectural Stone. He lives in Seattle.

Paul Goldberger (Foreword), is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair and previously held posts at The New Yorker and The New York Times, where he was awarded a Pulizter Prize.