Books
Books for AEC
Notes that help you decide what to read and which chapters matter. Entries appear here as they are published.
What Chopra's Dynamics of Structures is for
An engineering reading guide to Anil K. Chopra's Dynamics of Structures — which parts build earthquake analysis, which chapters you can skip, and why this is not a programming manual.
Coduto Foundation Design — principles before the spreadsheet
A working engineer's map of Coduto, Kitch, and Yeung's Foundation Design. What the third edition is for, which topics are load-bearing, and what it will not replace in local codes and site investigation.
Matrix Structural Analysis is the stiffness method you already run
McGuire, Gallagher, and Ziemian's Matrix Structural Analysis — what the second edition teaches, what to skip if you only need linear elastic frames, and why OpenSees is not a different theory.
Chapra and Canale before you trust a notebook or a model
Why Numerical Methods for Engineers is the computational-literacy book civil engineers actually need — roots, linear systems, ODEs — and why it is the opposite of treating a language model as a solver.
Chow's Open-Channel Hydraulics is a reference, not a first textbook
Ven Te Chow's 1959 Open-Channel Hydraulics still defines the vocabulary of GVF, jumps, and routing. What to use it for, which parts age badly, and what to read first if you actually design channels.