Publication of the book “Architectural and decorative stones in microphotography” by Piotr Wyszomirski and Tadeusz Szydlak

The book presents the basic physical and mechanical properties and petrographic characteristics of sixty-five imported and domestic decorative and architectural stones, together with their numerous documentation in color, mainly microphotographs (195 photos). This allowed verification of many simplifications and inaccuracies, which are encountered primarily in the naming of imported stones. One of the numerous examples is the mass-imported from South Africa the Nero Impala stone, which by the manufacturer is described as granite while in the light of microscopic analysis it represents typical gabbro. This, as well as many other examples, indicate the great usefulness of microscopic examination to solidify the correct nomenclature of decorative and architectural stones.

Currently, natural stone materials are sometimes increasingly replaced by substitutes of varying degrees of excellence. The book discusses two groups of them, which are stone conglomerates and quartz sinters. Stone conglomerates are composites, made of mineral aggregate in the amount of 90–95% and the binding binder, which is a synthetic resin, usually epoxy. Quartz sinters, on the other hand, are a variation of new-generation ceramic cladding materials known as porcelain stoneware, porcelain stoneware, and porcellanato stoneware. Current quartz sinter production technology makes it possible to produce ceramic plates as high as 4 meters and as thin as 6 mm.

The contents of the three appendices accompanying the book enable a full understanding of the material contained in it. The appendices cover the characteristics of minerals and rocks relevant to the
with the architectural and decorative stones discussed, as well as familiarize the reader with a range of their trade names and introduce many concepts and terms
in the field of earth sciences.

The cost of the book (without markup) is 60 zloty. It can be purchased from the AKAPIT Science Publishing House in Cracow (tel. 608024572, e-mail: wn@akapit.krakow.pl)
with the possibility of mail order after its cost. It is also possible to purchase the book at AGH Krakow in the connector between pavilions A-1/C-1 at the point of sale of Scientific and Didactic Publishers.