Magic in Stone - by Ruth Beaumont Cook (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Sylacauga--Alabama's "Marble City"--is blessed with an abundant natural resource that nurtures both its economy and its cultural heritage. Thirty-five miles long, at least four hundred feet deep, and more than a mile wide, the Sylacauga Marble Belt yields crystalline white marble frequently compared to the Parian marble treasured by Greek sculptors and the Italian Carrara marble often chosen by Michelangelo. Artisans have quarried Sylacauga marble for tombstones since the early 1800s, and architects prized it for years as dimension stone for buildings like the United States Supreme Court. In the early 1900s, Giuseppe Moretti and Gutzon Borglum both chose this marble for magnificent sculptures. When granite, better able to withstand industrial pollution, overtook marble as the preferred architectural stone in the 1930s, Sylacauga's quarry owners shifted their focus to the production of ground calcium carbonate (GCC), a fundamental ingredient in manufactured products from toothpaste, foodstuffs, and disposable diapers to paints, caulks, and sealants. Many cringe at the idea of blasting and grinding marble into fine powder, but GCC is a vital factor in the local economy. Thankfully, the Magic of Marble Festival, first held in 2009, has revitalized interest in the artistic value of Sylacauga marble, inspiring sculptors from across the United States and masters from Italy to apply their skills to cream-white blocks of this beautiful stone and share their creativity with thousands of residents and visitors each year. This is the story of quarry pioneers, investors, artists, and artisans. It's also the story of their families, who fondly remember their lives along the edge of "the hole" that provided for them.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>In 2014, Ruth Cook gave <em>Discovering Alabama</em> a marvelous interview for the program Marble City, prompting my film crew to later comment that Mrs. Cook should write a book. Well, thank you, Ruth, for such an impressive work complete from the ancient geological origins of Sylacauga's prized marble, through its discovery and use by Native Americans and early settlers, to the emergence of the town of Sylacauga and its renowned marble industry. <em>Magic in Stone</em> is a tremendous contribution, not only to the record of Alabama history but to a part of Alabama history significant to the world. -- <b>Doug Phillips</b>, executive producer, <em>Discovering Alabama</em><br><br>Pure white marble has been revered for thousands of years by architects and artists alike as the gold standard of stone. As a young sculptor from Alabama, I traveled halfway around the world to Carrara, Italy, in search of this majestic material, only to find out years later I had it here in my own back yard. Just as Giuseppe Moretti discovered in the early 1900s, Sylacauga marble's fine crystalline structure and beautiful white color make it ideal for sculpture. Its translucency rivals the finest statuary marble of Carrara as it holds light, glowing with a life from within. Ruth Cook has done an exceptional job telling the story of Sylacauga's "White Gold, putting into words the glow and memories of lives connected to this <em>Magic in Stone</em>. -- <b>Craigger Browne</b>, sculptor in residence, City of Sylacauga<br><br><em>Magic in Stone</em> is a story on a grand scale befitting its subject: marble, which formed with the first seashells that compacted underneath the continental shelf and resulted millions of years later in magnificent works of beauty by giants of talent and fame. The gifted Moretti, the loyal women in his life, and the emergence of an Alabama marble industry and quarry town. This history and much more is told by Ruth Cook in a memorable and richly detailed book. -- <b>Aileen Kilgore Henderson</b>, author of <em>Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped a State</em><br><br>From Ruth Cook comes an enjoyable and important work of history about Sylacauga marble -- the artists who worked with it, the village that grew up around it, the industry that developed out of it. This excellent book tells the story comprehensively for the first time. It is rich in detail and full of surprising, delightful tidbits about a resource few of us in the state know much about. What a treasure for us as Alabama historians, as Alabama citizens! -- <b>Leah Rawls Atkins</b>, director emerita, Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, Auburn University<br><br>Ruth Cook has woven a tapestry of historical, cultural, personal, and industrial components into a great read about the significance and magic of Sylacauga's marble. Her interviews with former residents of Gantts Quarry about their way of life in the Village and the delightful attitude they expressed about growing up in that safe and nurturing environment add a heartwarming element to the story. Her research on the owners of the historic quarries and the mining of the marble, combined with comments from current quarry officials, illuminate the past importance of the pure white stone while illustrating the evolution of the marble as it relates to today's market. Hers will be the definitive book on the subject for generations to come. -- <b>Shirley K. Spears</b>, B. B. Comer Memorial Public Library Foundation<br>
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