This is definitely an idea book. Every page is saturated with the origin of these primitive materials; the enormous variety of uses beginning with carved stone and earlier. If this book doesnt awaken your imagination, nothing will. These are the materials of the ages. I found it to be very exciting.
The photos are beautiful as promised. But if youre really looking for a sourcebook of ideas for your home, as this one claims to be, you may be disappointed. This book treats stone and tile with nearly religious reverence; all I wanted was something nice for the kitchen! Some of the treatments are absurdly elaborate, and the text even analyzes the provenance of many of the stones. More creative people might find inspiration here, but for me it was much ado about nothing.
The pictures and ideas are amazing. I didnt know such things could be done with tile. The book saved me from running from retail store to store to get ideas. I almost didnt buy the book because of another reviewer saying it only has pictures of product from Ann Sacks stores. I personally dont care where the product came from, the pictures and ideas were great all by themselves!
