<i>Structures: or Why Things Don't Fall Down</i> By J.E. Gordon

Sheila gave me this book a number of years ago as a birthday gift. It was suggested reading for one of her classes and she was impressed enough to pass it along.

The beginning of the book is very good. It gives an excellent background and an intuitive explanation of the equations that are fundamental to engineering design. Gordon spends much of the book explaining things that we see in every day life and how an engineer might look at them by giving a history of common designs and context for engineering materials and decisions.

This, though, is not a book that ages well as far as engineering science goes. One of teh difficulties I has was that sine Gordon reference modern (at the time) research, some sections of the book were painfully out of date. As such, current analysis methods (such as life cycle analysis), which are now expected when doing energy comparisons, are missing. I can't, truly, hold that lack of foresight against a book written in 1979.

The last chapter was more perplexing. Gordon sees two forces at work in design: efficiency and aesthetics:

The mechanical, that is to say the functional parts of any mass-produced car are not attractive, being made largely of wire and bent metal which we find it hard to admire, however useful they may be.

It seems to me that much of the point in understanding structural design and other engineering elements is to appreciate the elegance and details of the design---why the engineer made the decision, whether good or bad. The aesthetic value may not be instantly evident, but having the engineering literacy that this book is intended to impart, give purpose and thereby value to the bits of "wire and bent metal".

As an example, artwork is not always easy to understand. Looking at a Pollack or a Picasso does impart to every person who look at it an aesthetic value. Once, though, they are put into context of other artists of the time, one can learn to appreciate the aesthetics by understanding the structure it is built on.

A good read. Doesn't cover the latest research, but is good for those who have been away from structures for a while. I learned about thrust lines and why statues sit on top of buttresses. Do yourself a favor, though, and skip the last chapter. There have been better things written on engineering aesthetics.

6/10