Cob: Which books are best?

[Amanda Peck]

Evans et al for sweep and inspiration, Bee for handholding and practical 
pointers--I used to think it was bad that she all but held your hand, no 
more.  Take a good look at the Smith book, it may be that there is a lot 
that was not incorporated into Evans, Smiley and Smith (I believe that at 
least some of the illustrations were).

One good tip that keeps you from a big mistake, saves you a few hundred 
dollars or a week's worth of extra work means that that twenty-some dollar 
book and the time spent studying it was worth it.

That Natural building anthology (edited by somebody Kennedy and Michael 
Smith) is probably worth reading to help prevent you from becoming too 
narrow-minded--nothing's in front of me right now, and I'm too lazy to get 
up and find them.   And the new Earth Plasters book.  Kiko Denzler's Earth 
Oven, etc. etc. etc.

Charmaine Taylor's book on papercrete and other natural building methods.  I 
keep finding things I should have known in it.

Available (as is everything but the Alexander books) from--and a site you 
should consult frequently:

www.dirtcheapbuilder.com

And you might well find Christopher Alexander (et al, again) A Pattern 
Language inspirational.   That is NOT a 20-something dollar book, 
unfortunately.  There is a web-site, excruciatingly badly organized.  If you 
can find the part on how to design a small house for one person, which I 
think you CAN do without joining, working through that process IS 
enlightening.  And there's a new, 4-volume, even more expensive book, that I 
think someone said was pretty good.

Here's the web link for that:

"http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/smallhouseframe.htm?/leveltwo/../smallhouse/smallhousetable.htm"

But I love books.  My mother owned part of a bookstore when I was a kid, I 
worked in one, had money in one when I was in college.  And I think that 
everyone should have dozens if not hundreds.


.............
Inquiring minds--Mike and Erin--want to know:
I've been reading up about cob on the web and was wondering which books I 
should buy.  I'd like one that shows all aspects of building, from 
foundations to plastering and all thats inbetween. The Hand Scupted House, 
by Ianto Evans, Cob builders handbook, by Becky Bee or the Cob Cottage Co. 
books seem to be the best that's out there. What's ya alls opinion of them? 
Reccomend other books?

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail