Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down

I’m a chartered mechanical engineer and chief engineer. This book is the best thing I’ve read that gives a deep and intuitive understanding of how materials behave free of the mathematics that customarily is used to teach these subjects and often bores rather than enlightens. I’ve recommended this to young engineers who have degrees but don’t have a ‘feel’ for design. I think it would also be useful for the lay reader. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Fascinating. I thought it was all so obvious really but engineering is a science based on trial and error and many years of history. I bought this a one of a number of recommended background reading books for my nephew starting a Mechanical Engineering degree and got to read it whilst he was looking at the others. I’m told it’s a great book for any engineering student.

The content is first class and the book is worth buying. The book itself, however, is a classic case of bad engineering design, as it won't open and lie flat. Reading it is a constant battle with the binding. A hundred years ago, books were bound so that they could be read in comfort. Why will publishers not do this now ? They are all cheapskates: that's why. And the photos are very badly printed. What was the excuse for this ?

I'm a structural engineer and took this book on holiday as a "light read", but I must say I was blown away both with Gordons style and ease of reading. I didn't expect to actually learn anything, but I did - and quite a bit too. His explanation of the maths involved was quite refreshing; very gentle introduction with many steps along the way. I very much enjoyed the classical foundation to many of the chapters. If you have even the slightest interest in engineering, I recommend this book wholeheartedly. If you have any hesitation because you may think this book too heavy or technical, then I say NO. It is a superbly written teatise of the histroy and breadth of structural engineering with a lot of history thrown in. You'll never look at a a simple arch the same way :) A superb book.

Gordon’s book remains an indispensable guide for both early students of civil and structural engineering as well as anyone interested in structures. It’s not heavy on mathematics, it explains basic themes like stress and strain better than any other serious publication, and is full of interesting facts. Unlike most engineering publications, it is written beautifully with warmth, humour, respect for the intelligence of the reader, and no little literary skill. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

The recipient is in 3rd year engineering and thoroughly enjoying this book in that it brings old and new back to the basic math and even makes it as simple as possible for the layman .. He tells me a great choice and a most interesting read

Very readable almost all the way throughout, although less so towards the end, where it gets philosophical rather than practical. Particularly intriguing are the Biblical references, which could so easily be lost by those unfamiliar with Scripture. Sadly, in the Kindle edition, the various formulae are so tiny as to be unreadable. There are also several misspellings of names (e.g. Brunei) perhaps as a result of scanning text rather than relying it.

I first used this book in 1979 and it stayed with me for a number of years. You don't need to be an engineer to follow and understand it. It is technical enough but written in terms everyone can understand. Becoming a little dated now but still worth a read.

I love this book! As a mechanical engineer student i hate structural analysis. This book explains the structural analysis in a very easy way, and it even goes far beyond. You will learn about the history of structural analysis, dynamik etc. and their inventor. I read it in one weekend. Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down is on the must read list of Elon Musk...what more should i tell. For all non native english speaker: The english is level B2-C1

un livre qui fait le lien entre le comportement mecanique des materiaux et le comportement des structures. Les exemples et anecdotes sont piochés dans des domaines variés : genie civil, construction naval, aeronautique, tissus, matière vivante ... et illustre très bien les propos de l'auteur. Les exemples sont placés dans une perspective historique que j'ai trouvé très interessante. L'auteur fait genereusement part de ces idées et experiences. Très pedagogique et agreable a lire. Un excellent livre d'introduction à la science des matériaux et à la macanique des strucures.

Recomendable

Kitapta herhangi bir hasar yok, kargolama gayet iyi. Rahatsız olduğum iki nokta var: yazı fontu uzun okumada gözü yorabilir ve baskı kalıcılığı sanıyorum biraz zayıf. Hafif bir silgi kullanımında yazı hasar gördü. Konuya gelince, yazar "yapı" kavramına çok ilginç bir noktadan yaklaşmış. Her mühendisin okuması gereken bir kitap kesinlikle. Henüz giriş bölümünde "iyi ki karşıma çıkmış" dedim bu kitap için. Tek kelime ile harika.

Este libro es una locura, cotilleando sobre el autor descubrí que fue un profesor de materiales y su comportamiento en la universidad mucho tiempo. Yo he tenido profesores de materiales en mi paso por la universidad y… este libro te va a contar todo lo que te gustaría que te hubieran contado. No me entiendas mal, no acabarás sabiendo calcular estructuras, ni de lejos. No habla de matemáticas, ni de ecuaciones, a duras penas hay 5 ecuaciones en todo el libro. Lo que si hallarás es, que es una estructura, como funcionan desde una perspectiva basada en la experiencia y en sentido común. Empezarás estudiando problemas que los primeros científicos de materiales se fueron encontrando, aprenderás de Newton, Hooke, Young y entenderás por que hicieron lo que hicieron, como si te lo contara un colega en un bar tomando un café. Nivel de inglés recomendado… pues entorno a un B2, si tienes un C1 mejor. Verás muchas expresiones escritas francamente interesantes, ya analizando simplemente la gramática y no el contenido en sí. En definitiva, creo que voy a comprar 5 ejemplares más y los guardaré para ir regalando a gente a la que aprecia y le guste la ingeniería como a mi 🤷🏼‍♂️.