The Forgotten Art of Building a Good Fireplace

Since its original publication in 1969 by Yankee, Inc.,Vrest Orton’s classic book on fireplace design has gone through numerous printings and has brought about a revival of the Rumford fireplace. The basic principles that Count Rumford set forth in 1795 describe the construction of a large shallow fireplace which does not smoke and which throws out much more heat than many of today’s fireplaces which send too much of the heat up the chimney. This new edition contains some practical notes by Wally Leeds, a mason in Tunbridge,Vermont who builds Rumford fireplaces today.