Customer Reviews

Rock Slope Engineering: Fourth edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking at this book, you probably already know that Hoek & Bray is the Bible for rock slope engineering... no argument. Wyllie & Mah are simply carrying the torch for the aging masters. Same amazing book. Buy it. As for Amazon, however, I can't say quite as much. I recently purchased 3 books: Terzaghi's Soil Mechanics in hard cover, Wyllie & Mah's (Hoek & Bray's) Rock Slope Engineering in hard cover, and Hudson & Harrison's Engineering Rock Mechanics in paperback (wish I'd gotten hard cover). All 3 are landmark books. All 3 also arrived Saran-wrapped to a flat piece of cardboard and placed in a box large enough to allow it to slide around inside. There was no packing material to prevent sliding. The Terzaghi book was not plastic wrapped (separately from the Saran wrap); the other 2 were. All 3 books appeared (and smelled) wonderfully new inside; but all 3 had covers which were marred to some degree. Yes, I'm picky, but I'm also paying around $200 for some of these books. I don't know whether the slightly bent corners, surface indentations and scratches were the result of Amazon or some previous handler or the publisher/binder, but I was a bit pieved. The books should be delivered to the consumer in perfect condition. I kept all 3, knowing that I would probably inflict more wear and tear on them than what they had when I received them (being an engineering geologist), but I was nonetheless annoyed. I now have a bit of distrust in Amazon. Thanks for taking the time to read my opinion. Enjoy your books!

I'm an engineer working in the field of dams and hydropower.

Many professionals in our field consider all the books written by prof. Hoek the reference books for rock mechanics.

This book is an very good update ( including many more case histories ) of a classical text.

I strongly suggest it at least for all the professionals.

If you're a student in rock mechanics you might also read Hoek's course notes ( that can be downloaded from prof. Hoek's site ).

Based on the masterpiece by Hoek and Bray, the book is written in a very clear form and the contents are comprehensive for the field of rock mechanics, rock mass description and classification, laboratory and on site investigation, and stability of rock slopes.

I would suggest it to university students, both graduate and undergraduate, and to teachers of the relative courses as well.

As to Amazon ... the copy was badly binded, so I had to return it. They sent me a good copy completely free of charge in a rather quick time.