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Carved stone books are a fascinating and unusual form of American folk art. They were often given as tokens of affection, and the most interesting have inscriptions and carving. Often there are first names, usually female, but sometimes male. Full names are much less common presumably because the giver likely knew the recipient well. i.e. a suitor to someone being courted. Dates appear as well, which is a good way of tracking the popularity of these books decade by decade. The first American stone books show up in the early 1860’s (including books carved by soldiers during the Civil War), seem to be most popular from 1870 to 1900, with the latest in this collection from the early 1930’s. Judging from the quality of much carving, many books were probably carved by professional stonecutters, such as monument makers .But others were obviously done by amateurs. A few were intended as souvenirs, carved to be sold to tourists at attractions such as Garden of the Gods (Colorado).

Typically the books were carved from marble, often white, because it was widely available and easy to carve compared with igneous rocks. Slate, sandstone, limestone, agate, and pipestone are also seen. They are almost always carved in a closed position, and it was probably understood that many represented Bibles. Religious iconography(crosses, anchors, etc.) is often seen, with many books having the word Bible or Holy Bible inscribed on the cover. Clasped hands are also relatively common. Animals, flowers, vines, and other motifs are seen as well. At least half of the books I have seen are blank, which I no longer collect unless the stone itself is unusual.

The stone books illustrated and described on this site are in my collection and show the extraordinary range of design and carving. All books were photographed on a one inch grid for scale.