History of Strength of Materials (Dover Civil and Mechanical Engineering) [Paperback]

Stephen P. Timoshenko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0486611876 | ISBN-13: 978-0486611877 | Publication Date: February 1, 1983

This excellent historical survey of the strength of materials features many references to the theories of elasticity and structure. Based on an extensive series of lectures, it explores the early roots of the discipline from the great monuments and pyramids of ancient Egypt to the temples and fortifications of the Greeks and Romans. 245 figures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (February 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486611876
• ISBN-13: 978-0486611877
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Nanostructures

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for the library, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: History of Strength of Materials (Dover Civil and Mechanical Engineering) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent addition to the library. It's fascinating to read about all those great pioneers in mechanics, like Galileo,Prandtl,(he was also a great scientist in hydrodynamics and boundary layer theory) Boussinesq, Foppl and others. It's also interesting to know where the various assumptions we use today come from. (Transverse Shear deformation effects etc.,). The origin of beautiful concepts like Castigliano's theorem, minimum complementary energy theorem, betti maxwell reciprocity theorem etc are also given. Will make a very good reading for a weekend, if you are interested in mechanics of materials.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary to the students who are studyng Civil Eng., April 30, 2000

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Strength of Materials (Dover Civil and Mechanical Engineering) (Paperback)

This is a very good book. if you are a first or second year student studying any engineering(especialy Mechanics and Civil Eng.), You'd better it now. It helps you to understand the foundation theorem of mechanics especialy in elasticity. It's very helpful if you read it with Timoshenko and Gere's "Mechanics of materials"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Esoteric, but valuable for those interested, July 8, 2010

By 

M. Thomas (cal poly, slo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Strength of Materials (Dover Civil and Mechanical Engineering) (Paperback)

This book is a collection of about 300 vignettes in the history of Strength of Materials. If this topic interests you, there is a wealth of information within this book. I gained a much better understanding of energy methods through reading their history in this book.

The proviso: This isn't an easy read, especially if you don't have an abiding fascination with the subject. If you don't know anything about strength of materials, this is not a book with which to teach yourself.