Petra, Angkor, Copan, Venice, Lascaux, Easter Island—all are examples of irreplaceable cultural heritage built in stone and now slowly disappearing. In 1996 the Getty Conservation Institute published Stone Conservation: An Overview of Current Research as a tool for conservators and conservation scientists to guide policy, practice, and research in the preservation of stone in monuments, sculpture, and archaeological sites.

This second edition reflects the explosion of new research, enlarging the discussion of preventive conservation and adding new sections on rock art and other subjects. It provides a strategic overview of the intervening fifteen years in stone conservation research and an updated critique of the field’s strengths and weaknesses. The accompanying bibliography summarizes material published between 1995 and 2009 and provides a framework for building a coherent base of useful knowledge for practicing conservators and scientists.