195 PHOTOS AND 175 DRAWINGS, TABLES, MAPS AND GRAPHS

The Slate Roof Bible - Everything You Wanted to Know About Slate Roofs Including How to Keep Them Alive for Centuries is the first book to be written on the subject of slate roofs since 1926. Published in1997, the 8˝"x11" book has nearly 300 pages with 200 photos, both black and white and color, and an additional 175 line illustrations. It's two parts are separated by a section of color photos. The first half consists of general information about slate roofs, slate quarrying, slate roofing history and more. The second half of the book consists of a comprehensive repair and restoration mamual full of practical, illustrated , "how to" information.

This is a two part, indexed and referenced book which includes a detailed step-by-step, illustrated repair manual plus sources of slate roofing tools, equipment, materials, and new and used slates.

About The Author

Joseph Jenkins taps into his Welsh ancestry and his 30 years of slate roof restoration experience to bring us the most up-to-date and comprehensive book about slate roofs avaiable today. By drawing our attention to a neglected segment of American architecture, he is helping us to preserve our slate roofs.

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Reviews Of This Book

Boston Sunday Globe:
Jenkins tells his tale with pizazz and rollicking humor, offering anecdote after anecdote about what people do, and do not do, to their slate roofs.

Fine Homebuilding, July 1998 :
The Slate Roof Bible is a fine book, filled with fascinating information about slate: its history, the industry, and the way to work with it properly. I've been working with slate for a long time; still, I learned from this book some valuable hints and techniques that I've been able to put into practice.

Doylestown Intelligencer Record (Philadelphia):
Five years of meticulous research, thousands of miles traveled to slate quarries all over the world, particularly Wales, has produced The Slate Roof Bible - and a surprise. This book, potentially tedious reading, is instead a delight. Full of history, lore, and useful advice, Jenkins has written a fascinating book, spiced it with humor and warmed it with his own passion for the subject.

The Permaculture Magazine Information Service (England):
The Slate Roof Bible gives a concise history of the slate industry on both sides of the Atlantic, and the types and colours of slates to be found. Although the author is American, he is descended from Welsh émigérs who left with the collapse of the Welsh slate industry around the turn of the century, and this is reflected in the early chapters. The later chapters cover in some depth the design, installation, and maintenance of slate roofs. Also covered are tools, safe working practices, and important details on chimneys, flashings and gutters. This is well done, with clear illustrations and photos - an excellent example of how to produce a practical guide.