A charming storyteller brimming with élan, Mr. Warrack combines memoir, travelogue and cultural history ... When so much about our increasingly digital lives feels ephemeral or intangible, it’s wonderful to read about skilled, tactile work that is meant to last and is aimed at sustaining cultural traditions rather than disrupting them.
Insightful, well written, and full of wry good humour ... What shines out from this book is a real love for his calling ... Gives readers something of that sense.
This is a book about a passion, written by a man who has devoted his life to the cherishing of beauty ... This is a wonderful book ... Every chapter is suffused with expressions of respect and affection for mentors, colleagues, students and communities in which he has served ... His commitment to peoples, as much as to art, is deeply moving. Literary prize juries need look no further for a worthy winner.
If you think stonemasonry is a boring trade, this book will be enlightening ... Proves that masonry and conservation are a universal language ... This is a compelling manifesto for the conservation of traditional skills, the sharing of knowledge and a respect for our global heritage ... In a world of AI, steel and concrete, books like this have never felt more important.
An attractive volume that mingles autobiography with informed observation ... An engaging and informative book that will open many eyes to what is involved in building with stone and looking after the results.
A vivid, up-close look at what it’s like to repair the stone facades of ancient buildings and structures ... Advances a passionate conservation philosophy ... Warrack’s passion for his trade is palpable, coming through especially clearly in recollections of the early days of his career ... Conservationists and architectural historians will be especially intrigued.
