Francis D. K. Ching

A very different type of history, told through the lives of generations of a particular clan, the Chins of eastern China. This could have only been written of China, where clans have kept written histories over centuries, maintained their clan temples, and kept records of their genealogies. Of course, the reader has to take it on faith that all these accounts are from the actual records, and that the persons and events are not just made up. If they are genuine, then they provide an extraordinary account of the turbulent history of this vast continent and populace from the point of view of the middle-class, middle-level scholar-official class, the ones thrown up (and sometimes thrown out) by the system of examinations based on the Confucian classics, and the ups and downs of royal favour. Also valuable are the lessons in living wisely afforded by many of the stories, especially of those who fell on bad times, who got dismissed by the rulers, who could not make it through the selection process, or who were just not favoured by fortune. However, the book does end abruptly on the eve of the modern era, which suggests that the author was not quite ready to deal with the revolution(s) and the aftermath, which may have destroyed the clan structure.… (mere)

When I was hired as a technical writer for a major construction company I faced one potentially devastating obstacle. Without a background in construction I was often befuddled by a lot of the techno-lingo that engineers use when describing methods employed on the projects they were working on. I needed to understand these processes so I could write them up in easy to understand terms for chasing other work, but it would not be possible to quiz every engineer to explain these methods to me. I needed some desk reference that laid it out for me.
After consulting a colleague of mine they recommended picking up a copy of Ching's "Building Construction Illustrated" and it is probably the most valuable purchase I could have made. Ching describes almost every commercial construction technique you could conceive off, but it's the "Illustrated" part that is the real value in this work.
The description of each procedure is wonderfully illustrated with over 1,000 diagrams and graphical representations. These are easy to follow illustrations that really help explain what Ching is attempting to describe in the text. As such I am constantly referring to this book when I come across a term I am not familiar with and it has not let me down since. I am then able to translate the process into layman's language for all the people who sit on selection committee's who may or may not have an engineering background.
I've even had estimators stop by my desk at work and when surveying the line of books on the shelf relating to construction and marketing - this is the book they invariably praise.
This book comes highly recommended… (mere)