The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook Paperback – February 1, 2009

What a joy! I am in the process of planning a new home and would like to incorporate some pebble mosaic. I have long been a fan of pebble mosaic but just recently came across this book. It looked great and I keenly read pages on-line before buying it. After it arrived my initial impression was that it was picture heavy (all of which are inspirational and of good quality) but light on facts. On reflection, this was not a fair assessment of the book and now, having actually taken time to read through about a third of the book I believe that all the necessary information is there. The book has over 250 pages, all packed with visual treats. The book is well organized and is divided into three sections. Each section is well planned and written in clear factual but encouraging language. The book addresses such issues as suitable techniques for dry or wet climates and is full of encouraging comments with just one cautionary comment on an abandoned project on the Greek island of Rhodes. I think this comment, together with photo is testimony to the hard work needed to bring a project to completion and reminds us not to underestimate the scale and demands of our project before we start. The estimates of mass/volumes for some of the projects help to provide the reader with a sense of the scale and demands of any project which they might want to plan. I have great admiration for the author who has somehow found the time to write and compile this wonderful asset. Her inclusion of only "the best" examples helps her readers to aspire to well structured and durable works of art. The around the world section in which the author showcases amazing examples and techniques might seem unnecessary and probably adds significantly to the overall cost of the book but it serves to inspire. The book is fairly priced and I am happy to recommend this to artists, hobbyists, anyone who enjoys things visual and might want some inspiration.

This book is jam packed with pictures of pebble mosaics from hundreds of years BC to modern day installations. You will never be at a loss for inspiration with this collection of images.There's a huge amount of information on the history of the craft as well as sections dedicated to modern day pebble mosaic artisans.The instructions are thorough, if not a little daunting. It's a tremendous amount of work and planning so if you think you can buy this book then crank out a doorstep in a day, think again.Pebble mosaics require a good deal of planning, patience and dedication. Like many projects much of it is about the prepwork. The actual laying of the mosaic is only a portion. The author recommends trying out a couple of small projects to start before tackling a big project. There's a learning curve to determine the appropriate scale of design, getting the depth of the grout correct, and laying the pebbles in a pleasing and practical manner. Larger scale installations can often require large plywood templates to aid in maintaining a clean design so access to woodworking tools may be necessary.I am hoping that someday I will have the time to dedicate to making one of these beautiful creations (after trying on a very small scale to start) but in the meantime I will peruse this book and dream.

This book is GREAT eye candy!! Gave me all sorts of inspirations for things I would love to do (although apparently access to all those pretty rock colors around here slim to none....not the books fault). The ONLY reason not to rate this 5 stars is the binding. I treat books like precious jewels; this one needs to be handled with extra care. The binding is very flimsy and feels like the pages can come out at any moment. Would I still buy it? YES!! Just be aware if you are rough on books this won't last in one piece.

If you are contemplating doing a pebble mosaic, then the Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook by Maggy Howarth is essential. It includes easy to follow, start-to-finish instructions written by an experienced professional. Moreover, it includes a plethora of high quality photos of a diverse set of pebble mosaic projects. I also purchased two other books: Pebble Mosaics by Ann Frith, and Pebble Mosaics by Deborah Schneebeli. These are also pretty good books, but on a much smaller scale than Howarth's. If you are serious, get all three. If you only want one book, get Howarth's book. I recently completed my mosaic with stones so small I set many of them with tweezers. About 120 hours of work, but it was worth it. It is an unusual installation, being inverted, Sistine Chapel style (I started feeling like Michelangelo, always looking up!). It includes several elements, including a cat, sun, moon, dragon, galaxy, Audrey (from Little Shop of Horrors), and Old Man Winter. For pictures see [...].

This book is a gold mine of unique designs and projects large and small. I was looking for information on creating durable outdoor mosaic paving. I had seen this type of paving in Spain and Japan. The book takes you through the main steps of building a pebble stone mosaic including in frost- prone and non frosting areas. It has examples of community commemorative projects that came out beautifully. The photographs are superb and really show in detail the richness, complexity and subtlety of this art form. If you are interested in taking on a lasting project that is substantial, but not impossible, this book is a good place to begin your journey.

Very Informative. Provided details of the construction and inspirational examples.

Really inspiring and professional book. Step by step projects and lot of techniques and artists. I made myself outdoor mosaic just by this book and it did great. Stay in frost couple years already and looks beautiful.

As a complete beginner I chose this book to inspire and teach me how to acheive a pebble mosaic. The various techniques are clearly explained so that the best method can be chosen. The photography is superb and the artistic insight into how the best can be acheived marks this artist-author as the top of the field. The design ideas are beyond any expectations I might have had. What is unexpected is the desire now to seek out the work described on a tour of Britain and to incorporate something more beautiful than I had previously imagined in my own garden spaces. Being hardback it is lovely to hold and use. Nothing less would do.If you only read one pebble mosaic book this is the one.

Nice detail

lovely bookBook is really interesting and great illustrations.

I gave this book as a present and my mother-in-law liked it a lot, found it interesting with nice pics :)

Great book for a pebble diy projact