The introductory history section is much briefer than the others in this series, almost nonexistent, a real disappointment. Maybe theres just not as much to say about wood compared to steel, glass, concrete or masonry; maybe the technology is not as extensive. The structural section makes no effort to tutor, so will only be understandable by engineers. But if you want, youll easily be able to build a wooden railroad bridge using the information here, so sophisticated and exhaustive is the coverage. (It has nothing in particular to say about residential construction, by the way, although several houses appear in the examples, which represent about half the book.) The wood science section is good but too short; theres no building science section at all. The presentation is like others in the series, but adds color to the examples, unlike them. Some complaints, but overall an excellent book.
