Bobbs-Merrill Fireplaces and wood stoves: How to build, buy, install, and use them

I pulled a dog‑eared, late‑’70s copy of this manual off my bench last winter while planning a wood‑burning setup for a drafty cabin. It wasn’t my first resource, but it quickly became one of the most useful for understanding the fundamentals—how fire behaves, why chimneys work (or don’t), and what separates a pleasant hearth from a creosote factory. As a period piece, it shows its age. As a primer, it’s excellent.

What the book actually covers

Across 192 pages, the book lays out four big domains:

• Building site‑built masonry fireplaces: firebox geometry, throat, smoke shelf, flue sizing, and chimney height.
• Selecting and installing wood stoves: stove types, connectors, chimney runs, and placement in the home.
• Fuel and combustion basics: species, seasoning, draft, heat output, and burn technique.
• Operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting: cleaning schedules, creosote, poor draft diagnosis, and safety practices.

The writing is straightforward, and the line drawings do the heavy lifting: clear sections of a masonry fireplace, exploded views of a flue system, and diagrams that make draft physics intuitive. It’s the kind of practical handbook you keep open while sketching a layout.

Where it shines

The strongest chapters are the ones that explain why, not just how. A few highlights from my use:

• Chimney and draft fundamentals. The book explains stack effect in plain language and ties it to real decisions: flue diameter, chimney height, offsets, and how leaky versus tight spaces affect draft. It also describes the classic 10‑3‑2 chimney rule (two feet higher than anything within ten feet, and at least three feet above the roof penetration), which remains relevant.
• Fireplace proportions. For site‑built masonry fireplaces, it sets out the relationships between firebox opening and flue cross‑section. The 1/10 to 1/12 rule of thumb for flue sizing relative to the fireplace opening is presented clearly, and the accompanying drawings helped me understand why shallow, tall fireboxes throw more heat into the room.
• Practical stove placement. It walks through placing a stove to maximize radiant and convective heat and minimize draft conflicts with kitchens and bathrooms. I used its guidance to avoid a problematic location near a stairwell that would have turned the stove into a smoke signal whenever a bath fan ran.
• Maintenance that matters. The creosote discussions are blunt and useful. The book emphasizes dry wood, hot starts, and steady burns, with cleaning intervals tied to real conditions rather than rigid schedules. That common‑sense approach aligned with what I see in the flue: clean burns on seasoned wood, glazed creosote when I get lazy.

It’s also readable. Chapters are logically ordered—site decisions before cutting holes, combustion before maintenance—and the index is good enough that I could jump back to key tables and diagrams without flipping forever.

Where it shows its age

There’s no getting around the publication date. Codes, product standards, and best practices have changed a lot since 1977. If you plan to rely on a single source for a modern installation, this isn’t it. Some specifics to keep in mind:

• Codes and listings. You won’t find current references to NFPA 211, the International Residential Code, or contemporary UL/CSA listings. Today, you should be looking for UL 103 HT for chimneys, UL 1482/UL 737 for stoves and fireplaces, and strictly following the clearances and chimney requirements in the manufacturer’s manual.
• EPA standards. Modern EPA‑certified stoves (especially post‑2020) burn differently and require different operating practices than many appliances described here. The book predates catalytic/non‑catalytic combustion as we know it and doesn’t discuss modern secondary burn systems.
• Building science. Tight homes, mechanical ventilation, range hoods, and radon mitigation systems can cause depressurization that makes fireplaces and stoves misbehave. The book doesn’t address makeup air strategies, outside air kits, or pressure diagnostics.
• Prefab and inserts. Factory‑built zero‑clearance fireplaces and wood‑burning inserts get minimal, outdated treatment. If you’re re‑lining a chimney for an insert or threading chimney through a chase with offsets, you’ll need contemporary guidance.
• Hearth and shielding details. The manual mentions clearances and non‑combustible protection, but not modern R‑value requirements for hearth pads and wall shields, nor the tested assemblies manufacturers now specify.

Finally, if you’re hoping for plans to build a freestanding stove, that’s not what this is. It’s primarily about masonry fireplaces and the selection/installation of manufactured stoves and chimneys.

How I used it on a real project

I had two parallel goals: revive a mid‑century masonry fireplace and add a freestanding stove in an adjacent room.

• For the fireplace, the proportion drawings in the book helped me diagnose a chronic smoke‑roll problem. The original firebox was too deep and the throat too tight. Using the manual’s sizing relationships, I re‑designed the smoke shelf and adjusted the damper opening, then had a mason implement the changes and line the flue with insulated stainless (a modern step the book doesn’t cover). The difference was immediate: better draw, noticeably more radiant heat into the room.
• For the stove, I used the placement and chimney run advice to plan a straight shot through the ceiling and roof, minimizing elbows. The book convinced me to keep the interior connector run short and vertical, which paid off in easy starts. I ignored its old clearance numbers and instead followed my stove’s installation manual to the letter, including hearth R‑value and side/rear clearances with a wall shield system.

On the operation side, the fuel guidance holds up. Seasoned, split wood stacked for a year (or to under 20% moisture by meter), small hot kindling fires to start, and air‑control adjustments to maintain bright secondaries—all consistent with good modern practice.

Using it safely today

If you pick up this manual, treat it as foundational reading and pair it with current, authoritative sources. My checklist looked like this:

• Manufacturer’s installation manual for any listed stove, insert, or chimney system (these trump everything else).
• NFPA 211 and local code/inspector requirements.
• EPA lists of certified wood heaters.
• A consultation with a certified chimney professional (CSIA or equivalent) if you’re modifying or lining a flue.

Add modern safety basics the book doesn’t emphasize: CO and smoke alarms, proper ash handling in metal containers, and attention to negative pressure from exhaust appliances.

Format and usability

My copy is a black‑and‑white paperback with clear, functional line drawings and sturdy paper. No glossy photos, but that’s fine—the diagrams are more helpful than marketing pictures. The text is approachable without talking down to you. If there’s a weakness, it’s the lack of quick reference tables for modern clearances or materials, which of course didn’t exist at publication.

Who will get the most from it

• Homeowners and DIYers who want to understand the physics and geometry behind fireplaces and chimneys.
• People restoring or troubleshooting older masonry fireplaces.
• Anyone who learns well from clean diagrams and step‑by‑step sequences before diving into manufacturer‑specific instructions.

Who won’t: folks looking for a one‑stop, code‑current installation manual; people shopping for modern stove models and comparing emissions; or anyone hoping for detailed plans to fabricate a stove.

Bottom line

I keep this book around because it explains the “why” behind good wood‑burning practice better than most modern pamphlets, and it does so without fluff. I wouldn’t use it as my only guide for a new installation—codes, safety standards, and products have moved on—but as a foundation for understanding fireplaces and stoves, it’s still valuable.

Recommendation: I recommend this manual as a secondary reference for anyone planning, operating, or troubleshooting a fireplace or wood stove. Use it to learn the fundamentals—the relationships between firebox, flue, and draft; the principles of safe placement; the habits that prevent creosote—and then execute with current codes and manufacturer instructions. If you need a single, up‑to‑date installation guide, look elsewhere. If you want a clear, enduring primer to make sense of the rest, this is worth having on the shelf.