Book review

This new addition to the manuals series of the Institution of Civil Engineers is a mighty work in every way: it occupies more than 900 pages in two large-format tomes and it aims to cover a comprehensive range of the many and varied materials used in construction. ICE members, plus many others practising within the construction industry and students, will doubtless be attracted by its encyclopaedic scope and sheer gravitas. However, the challenge for any all-embracing manual of this type is in avoiding individual topics falling inadequately between an over-simplified introduction and a detailed state-of-the-art treatment. Potential readers and users...