". . . an invaluable contribution to the growing body of knowledge about these most venerable building materials. I suggest you buy two copies - one for yourself, and one for your building inspector."

David Easton
Author, The Rammed Earth House


"With clarity and philosophical grace, Bruce King has provided a very functional design tool for owner/builders, architects, and engineers to approach the structural design of these buildings. It should prove to be an invaluable companion to the other works on the subject of earth and straw building, such as The Rammed Earth House, The Straw Bale House, and Build It With Bales"

David Eisenberg
Director, Development Center for Appropriate Technology
Co-author, The Straw Bale House


"Bruce King has produced a book that is both long overdue and quite timely. While I find most technical books to be dry, uninteresting, and difficult to read, Bruce has managed to provide technical information in an accessible and entertaining manner. Although parts of his book will admittedly require engineering training to understand, even the uninitiated builder will find a wealth of usable material here."

Bob Fowler, FAIA, PE, PBO
Past Chairman, International Conference of Building Officials
Founding member, International Codes Council