SALT LAKE CITY, April 30, 2019
William Parry
William Parry was introduced to quarrying practices at an early age. His father, uncles, and grandfather were stone masons and quarry men. He grew up in a stone home built in 1858, in Sanpete County, Utah. His new book about Utah’s nineteenth century stone quarries, now under contract with WiDo™ imprint, E.L. Marker, is a reflection of this family legacy.
In addition to his family history in stone quarrying, it also reflects the author’s lifetime interest in geology and rocks. He has written and published four books on these topics.
All Veins, Lodes, and Ledges Throughout their Entire Depth describes the 1872 mining law, still in effect, as well as lawsuits brought against it. Hiking Guide to the Geology of the Wasatch Mountains describes hiking trails and the rocks a hiker will encounter. Geology of Utah’s Rivers describes the geological formations encountered along modern and ancient rivers in Utah, together with the fish contained in the rivers. Geology of Utah’s Mountains, Peaks, and Plateaus describes the unique geology of the entire state, including cliffs, valleys, and the history of climate.
WiDo’s owner and managing editor, Karen Gowen, said that although the company does not normally publish non-fiction, scholarly works such as this, they decided to accept Parry’s manuscript.
“William approaches his topic with such passion, clarifying details in a way the layman can understand, that we decided to make an exception for this book,” Gowen states. “Besides, I have had a love affair with rocks and geology since childhood. I read books on the subject and had several rock collections through the years. As an adult, my rock collections have been in the gardens of my home. Just ask my kids about how many times they had to move rocks around, especially once we built a large pond in the backyard.”
In Parry’s attempt to find a publisher for the quarry book, an acquisition editor for another press suggested he try the WiDo family of publishers. “After looking at the attractive web page, I thought it worth a try,” he says.
“Among the many remarkable achievements of the nineteenth century pioneers were construction of numerous spectacular buildings of stone extracted from the earth in quarries,” Parry says. His book describes the quarry practices, detailed descriptions of the major stone quarries, the major structures built of the stone, and the stories of some of the men who worked the quarries and built the buildings.
This book, like his previous ones, required extensive library research. The author studied scientific papers, books, newspapers, personal journals, student theses, and all other types of publications. “In the course of my research,” he says, “I was surprised to learn how unique Utah is not just in geology, but in the extent of stone quarrying and stone buildings.”
Not surprisingly, Parry enjoys reading biography, history, and science books. He is currently at work on a manuscript on the mining legacy of William S. Godbe. When not reading or writing or conducting research for a new book, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors. He is an avid hiker, skier, and fly fisherman.
William Parry was born and raised in Manti, Sanpete County, Utah. He studied geology at the University of Utah and received Bachelors, Masters, and Doctors degrees. He worked for mining companies and oil companies before becoming a teacher. He taught at Texas Tech University and then the University of Utah, retiring after thirty-four years there. During his teaching career, Parry was recognized with teaching and research awards and published more than 100 technical papers. Since retirement, he has published four books.