"How to alter unsatisfactory fireplaces & to build new ones in the 18th century fashion"--Cover.

The story of Sir Benjamin Thompson & his principles of fireplace design which have remained unchanged for 174 years. He was an American genius of equal stature in science & invention to Benjamin Franklin. He established the basic principles of fireplace design in 1795, which have remained unchanged since that time. This book sets forth the basic principles, with drawings, & gives designs that can be used to make masons build fireplaces the right way & the handsome way. Includes a short sketch of Rumford's life, which has been neglected by historians. Compares Rumford's work with Benjamin Franklin's speculations on fireplaces.

First published by Yankee Magazine in 1977, this book remains the authority on how old-time brick ovens were designed and used. The book explains the evolution of the brick oven from the 17th through the 19th centuries, out lines the basic points to consider in building such an oven today, and describes in detail construction of a brick oven, ash pit complex, including the tools required, procedures to be followed, types of brick and mortar, lintels and doors, plans, dimensions, and actual brickwork, graphically illustrated with photographs, diagrams and drawings. Also covered is how to heat and use such an oven, once built. Richard M. Bacon has written numerous articles for such publications as Yankee Magazine and the Sunday New York times. He also wrote The Yankee Book of Forgotten Arts, Simon & Schuster, 1978.

Created during the Great Depression by the U.S. Forest Service, this guide providedenvironmental safety and maintenance advice for visitors to national forests and parks.It contains finely crafted drawings and plans for outdoor stoves and fireplaces that offera window into a bygone era of handyman activity and a wealth of still-useful informationfor building barbecue pits, chimneys, warming units, and more. Do-it-yourselfers interestedin older construction techniques will find many ideas in this volume.Reprint of the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1937 edition.

The story of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, an American genius & his principles of fireplace design which have remained unchanged for 174 years.