I decided that little birch blocks would be preferable to big marble ones for my models, given the fact that I didn't have years to build them. Even so, the project took several days longer than I'd expected. The bigger the blocks are, the more friction there is between them; since mine are only three-quarters of an inch, I had to use glue to make them stick. The most difficult part of my project was the calculation: before I even cut anything, I used my limited knowledge of geomoetry to figure out what angle each piece should be. I wonder if the ancients calculated and measured their angles, or if they worked by trial and error - either way, I am in awe of their patience.
Alain. _The Magic Stones_. New York: McGraw Hill Book Co, 1957.
Curtis, C. Densmore. _Roman Monumental Arches_. New York: Columbia University Press, 1908.
Longfellow, William P. _The Column and the Arch: Essays on Architectural History_. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Macaulay, David. _Cathedral_. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1973.