AUDELS MASONS AND BUILDERS GUIDE

Our January 8 and January 15, 2009 postings focused on a set of books in the Bullis collection, Audels Carpenters and Builder Guide, published by Theo. Audel Co. , copyrighted in 1929, 1933, 1945,  and reprinted in 1948. Now two years later another set of books with Audels in the title  “showed up” on the Bullis Room’s round table, and volunteers immediately began poring over their pages.

The motto, “By Hammer and Hand All Things Do Stand,” heads up each title page of this four-volume set. The complete title is: Audels Masons and Builders Guide,  A Practical Illustrated Trade Assistant on Modern Construction for Bricklayers-Stone Masons-Cement Workers-Plasterers and Tile Setters...” written by Frank D. Graham-Chief and Thomas J. Emery-Associate. This set was copyrighted in 1924 and 1945 by Theo Audel & Co., New York.

The books are subtitled:

1 – Brick Work: Brick Laying, Bonding, Designs

2 – Brick Foundations: Arches, Tile, Setting, Estimating

3 – Concrete: Mixing, Placing Forms, Reinforced, Stucco

4 – Plastering, Stone Masonry, Steel Construction, Blue Prints

 Book 1’s first chapter gives an interesting history of the art of brick making, pointing out that sun dried or adobe brick “were used thousands of years before the earliest recorded date of history, as given on a brick tablet of the time of Sargon of Akkad, 3,800 B.C., founder of the Chaldean empire.”  This account also notes that  “The Great Wall of China was constructed partly of brick, both burnt and unburnt.”  We also found these facts interesting:

“In England, the great fire of 1666 transformed London from a wooden to a brick town and gave a great spur to the brick industry.”

and,

”The first brick buildings in America were erected on Manhattan Island in the year 1633.... The bricks for these buildings were made in Holland....For many years brick were imported into America from Holland and also from England.”

Stop by and  look through either or both Audels sets.  It will be worth your time.