This practical guide to walling starts with a bit of background on walling history and the terminology associated with walling, tools etc., including an excessive description on the construction oif a batter frame. It then deals with various aspects of walling through "projects" the author has worked on. The longest section is "Basic Walling Technique", but we are also taken through walling on slopes, curves, retaining walls a inter alia. The text generally says the right things although you get the feeling that you've heard it all before. Occasionally it is a little naive or misleading for the uninitiated `most stone will easily dress`, sometimes plain daft suggesting that you will save stone by building a corner rather than a curve somehow defying the laws of physics.

Then there's the photos... It takes a brave man (or a fool) to admit to having had anything to do with the cover let alone attaching the idea that it is `practical and attractive`. Another one where the waller is shown `tying the wall into the existing structure` (having noted that elsewhere the wall should be dismantled to a sound structure or some such) had me a little flabbergasted. Then there's `levelling the wall ready for the through-band` pride of place centre shot is a face stone not only "traced" but stood on edge, I've just about recovered from the hysterics. These photos and others definitely give the impression that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Presumably aimed at those with a bit of wall to do in their garden it is likely to be of limited use, for others even more so. The only apparently original text relates to walling on slopes. I found this particularly confusing so you'll pardon me for questioning how well others would understand it. It also has some ideas with the uses of batter frames on slopes which for a variety of technical reasons would either not work or would be pointless. Perhaps interestingly this section is not based on a project. It smacks of being an academic idea never really executed in practice. But then judging from the photos it might be that the author has tried it and just not appreciated that it doesn't actually work.

There is a short section on "variations on the craft" which bears striking resemblance to the content of a number of DSWA leaflets, and other publications. You cannot copyright dry stone walling per se, it would be possible to sit down and write a book from scratch and not say anything that had not been previously printed. However what disturbs me most about this book in this respect is that it hasn't even got a bibliography and does not even pay lip service to other's endeavours. Does the author really expect us to believe that he's never read another walling book or done any research. Mind you if it wasn't for the striking similarity of diagrams and some text/format, perhaps I would actually believe him.

You might have heard of the metaphor of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants used by Newton amongst others, to refer to having great insights as a result of the work of others, not necessarily a bad thing if you are breaking new ground. However I feel here Nietzsche`s interpretation is more apposite he argues "that a dwarf (the academic scholar) brings even the most sublime heights down to his level of understanding" (wikipedia).

Perhaps alarmingly as I wrote this review I discovered the author had just written a book on "Building Natural Stone Garden Features". Unfortunately as I aim to own a copy of every work published on the craft I will have to get a copy, I shall just wait for it to be remaindered. Unless you want a really good laugh and have plenty of spare cash take Donald Gunn`s advice, found on line: "On no account get Andy Radford`s book .... the worst book on walling ever. Just don`t encourage him, OK!"