Civil Engineering Problems Overseas 1971

Before ?global infrastructure challenge? became conference language, civil engineers were already abroad, staring at rivers, roads, soils, bridges, ports, climates, budgets, and saying, very reasonably, ?Well, that complicates things.? Civil Engineering Problems Overseas 1971 , published by the Institution of Civil Engineers, is exactly the sort of title that makes no attempt to seduce the casual reader. It simply arrives in a hard hat and gets on with the job. Inside is the world of practical engineering beyond Britain: different ground conditions, different climates, different materials, different administrative headaches, and the universal truth that water, gravity, concrete, and bureaucracy are never quite as cooperative as hoped. There is a quiet charm in its seriousness. This is not glamorous travel writing, though it is certainly overseas. There are no sunsets over harbours unless someone is calculating the load-bearing consequences. It is a book for people who understand that civilisation is less a grand idea than a series of drainage solutions that did not fail. This good copy, as sold by Crappy Old Books, is ideal for collectors of engineering history, vintage technical literature, and anyone who enjoys the stern poetry of infrastructure. Not a beach read, perhaps, but then beaches are mostly erosion problems waiting to happen.…