Introductory technical guidance for civil engineers and construction managers interested in investigation and testing of stone for construction purposes.

This volume brings together papers from the multidisciplinary Dimension Stone 2004 Conference, held in Prague. Looking at all aspects of this useful and attractive building material, experts from many fields of research offer their perspectives from geology, rock mechanics, geotechnics, the stone extractive industry, restoration work and architecture. The result is a wide-ranging and practical handbook for geologists, engineers and architects covering: - geological studies of traditional local stone types - advanced rock fabric and rock mechanics studies applied to dimension stone research - application of dimension stone databases for historical research and for stone marketing - GIS application to quarry planning - aspects of dimension stone deterioration - bowing of natural stone cladding and prevention - processing and benefits of waste from the stone industry.

Wittgenstein's Art of Investigation is one of the first to focus on and provide an original and detailed analysis of Wittgenstein's grammatical investigations. Beth Sarkey offers us new insight into the historical context and influences on method which will help students understand the intricacies and depth of his work.

A ground-breaking study of ceremonial stone landscapes in Northeast America and their relationship to other sites around the world • Features a comprehensive field guide to hundreds of megalithic stone structures in northeastern America, including cairns, perched boulders, and effigies • Details the Wall of Manitou, the Hammonasset Line, landscape astronomy along the Hudson River, and a several-acre area in Woodstock, NY, with large, carefully constructed lithic formations • Analyzes the archaeoastronomy, archaeoacoustics, and symbolism of these sites to reveal their relationships to other ceremonial stone sites across America and the world Presenting a comprehensive field guide to hundreds of lost, forgotten, and misidentified megalithic stone structures in northeastern America, Glenn Kreisberg documents many enigmatic formations still standing across the Catskill Mountain and Hudson Valley region, complete with functioning solstice and equinox alignments. Kreisberg provides a first-person description of the “Wall of the Manitou,” which runs for 10 miles along the eastern slopes of the Catskill Mountains, as well as narratives about related sites that include animal effigies, reproductive organs, calendar stones, enigmatic inscriptions, and evidence of alignments. Using computer software, he plots the trajectory of the Hammonasset Line, which begins at a burial complex near the tip of Long Island and runs to Devil’s Tombstone in Greene County, New York. He shows how the line runs at the same angle that marks the summer solstice sunset from Montauk Point on Long Island, and, when extended, intersects the ancient copper mines of Isle Royal in Upper Michigan. He documents a several-acre area on Overlook Mountain in Woodstock, New York, with a grouping of very large, carefully constructed lithic formations that together create a serpent or snake figure, mirroring the constellation Draco. He demonstrates how this site is related to the Serpent Mount in Ohio and Ankor Wat in Cambodia and reveals how all of the vast, interlocking sites in the Northeast were part of an ancient spiritual landscape based on a sophisticated understanding of the cosmos, as practiced by ancient Native Americans. While modern historians consider these sites to be colonial era constructions, Kreisberg reveals how they were used to communicate with the spirit world and may be remnants of a long-vanished civilization.

Stone buildings and monuments form the cultural centres of many of the world's urban areas. Frequently these areas are prone to high levels of atmospheric pollution that promote a variety of aggressive stone decay processes. Because of this, stone decay is now widely recognised as a severe threat to much of our cultural heritage. An interdisciplinary approach between geologists, environmental scientists, chemists, material scientists, civil engineers, restorers and architects aims to strengthen the knowledge base dealing with the causes, consequences, prevention and solution of stone decay problems.