Stone-dressing continues to expand steadily, in nearly all of those countries having an abundant supply of suitable raw material, due to the increasing demand for stone products. Because competition from emerging stone-processing countries has been putting traditional stone-supplying countries under economic pressure, various attempts are being made to improve the financial viability of stone- processing operations and thereby maintain natural stone's position as a cost-effective building material. Numerous papers related to the machining of natural stone have been published in diverse journals and conference proceedings, but an overall treatment of the subject for the general reader is difficult to find. The purpose of this book is to provide an opportunity for academic researchers and industrial experts to summarize the achievements made, and to predict new trends in this area; all in a single volume.