Book excerpt: The Masonry Construction Manual examines the wide range of possibilities stone and brickwork offer in building. It documents in great detail the technical principles and methods of building with these materials, examines their properties, the sizes and forms of bricks and stones, the bonds, and the behaviour of stone and brickwork under stress. In addition, full information is provided on the requirements with respect to heat, damp, sound-proofing and fire protection, and the most recent standards and norms are listed. Finally, a large number of built examples are presented, complete with plans and details, all of which illustrate the many applications of stone and brickwork in contemporary construction. All plans have been drawn at equal scale especially for this book to ensure best legibility and easy comparison. The construction manuals from Edition Detail have set new standards in the field of specialist literature, becoming an indispensable part of any architect's library.