[.uk] The Book of Masonry Stoves: Rediscovering an Old Way of ... (ISBN 1890132098)

Intriguing historical look:
As mentioned, the book is not a modern day catalog, but a historical look at masonry stoves dating back to the first harvesting of fire by humans. Fascinating look at the historical developments, especially around the middle ages to the nineteenth centtury. Also includes many examples from non-western cultures. Many informative diagrams and photos portraying the myriad styles. Appropriate for the uninitiated. Not an overly technical review.

Not quite what I'd expected, but great anyway:
I wouldn't have thought a book about stoves would be such interesting reading, but this really is a good book. I bought it in hopes that I'd be able to attempt to build a stove myself. That did not happen, in fact I'm not even sure what type of stove I'd like. However, the book has increased my faith in a wood stove keeping my home comfortable, and be environmentally sound. I liked the writing style, which is pretty rare for a book of this type. There were times when I couldn't put it down. Honestly, I was on this page again to sell my book, but now I find I'm not ready to let it go, so I'm writing a review instead. While it is old and could probably be updated, the art of the wood stove is also old, so much of the most valuable information may be old as well. Certainly, history has a lot of lessons to teach us about masonry stoves. Also, the book talks about past mistakes of masonry stoves, so if you're thinking about building your own, this would be good reading.

Fantastic Book:
When I started flipping through this book, I became excited -- very excited. This is not a Black & Decker complete guide to masonry stoves. There are no step-by-step instructions on how to build a masonry stove. You cannot walk into the Home Depot and buy a masonry stove or a masonry stove kit. But this book is an absolute treasure trove of theory and diagrams (many historical, but we learn from the past, right?) which, with a little imagination and chatting with your local building inspector, can potentially yield results in the form of energy-efficient, high quality heating for your home -- and, depending on your execution, much more aesthetically pleasing than the forced-air beast currently occupying your basement.

fire primer:
great refrence book, it goes back to the beginning of the use of fire indoor as heat, then goes into masonry heaters. lots of nice pictures also.

Masonry stove:
This is an outstanding and comprehensive book on a timely subject which is gaining renewed interest. Even though it's a bit out of date on the calendar the information is still right on target.