We present a user's manual for the SHALE code. SHALE is a two-dimensional finite difference code for simulating stress wave propagation and fracture in brittle solids. SHALE was originally written to investigate chemical-explosive loading of oil shale in the context of blasting in mines. This document contains a complete description of how to run a problem including the input and output of a sample calculation. In addition, sufficient documentation is provided to allow the more knowledgeable user to alter the code to his individual needs. Finally, detailed description is provided for SHALE's new features, both physical and numerical, for the benefit of the code developer who may wish to incorporate these features into his own code. The SHALE code at Los Alamos contains many capabilities that are not included in the export version at this time. These capabilities are alluded to in the text and, in many cases, may be obtained from the authors.