Reading the journeys of the three authors into cob mastery is fascinating, especially Ianto's. He went from traditionally trained British architect (which means he was never allowed to sully himself with actually building anything--a trait shared by many architects) to cob godfather. It's not just a handbook, it's a fascinating read on its own.

A story that resonated with me immediately was a time when Ianto came upon a well-dressed older woman sitting in her car in his drive, looking at his cottage. He invited her in, she came in reluctantly. Ianto looked up from making tea and she was sitting there with tears running down her cheeks. She said she'd always dreamed of a house like this since childhood, that in her heart a house like this was her home, and she didn't know it was actually possible.

Reading "The Hand-Sculpted House," I feel like that woman. And maybe it's menopause, but I almost feel teary, too. I yearn for a little house like the ones described in this book. The authors say that this is such an old building method--very probably one of the first permanent ones we as humans used--that it may be in our genetic memory. I believe it just may be so.

Full disclosure: One of my best friends is one of Ianto's close friends, though he and I have never met.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor