Civil Engineering -- so named to distinguish it from Military Engineering -- produces work familiar to and used by everyone.  From the roads and bridges, you drive on to the skyscrapers we work in and the dams which provide our power, civil engineering produces large scale, durable constructions in the public domain.  It’s considered one of the oldest branches of engineering and science, and one of the most important; as relevant to modern infrastructure as it was for the Romans building their roads and canals.  It’s difficult to imagine a day when civil engineers won’t have jobs to do.

This book serves as a fantastic introduction to the basic concepts of civil engineering, delivered in everyday language with a humorous tone.  Civil engineering is all about stability and structure; making things that don’t crumble, collapse, or fall down. In addition to explaining formal ideas about shear, strain, and torsion, there are myriad examples of objects -- both artificial and natural in origin -- to illustrate the concepts being explained (as well as actual illustrations).  The book is well-written and demonstrates an awesome wealth of knowledge on the part of the author. By the time you’re done, you’ll understand all about why things don’t fall down…and why some do. It’s perhaps noteworthy that this text is not only in Elon Musk’s library, but it’s also considered one of the 14 books which inspired him to become the engineering giant he is today.

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