Buildings of Earth and Straw

Wonderful introduction to rammed earth and straw bale construction. I was mostly interested in rammed earth. I read it in one sitting. The author is funny and presents technical info in an accesible manner.

Learn how to build with earth, and straw. The one thing I didn't like about the book is that there are no photo's of finished projects.

This book educates the lay builder of "earth and straw" about the technical side of the mentioned building methods. This technical lingo is explained clearly for the person's understanding. This book bridges the gap between building inspetors and the "alternative" builder by increasing the technical knowledge of basic building structures and forces.

This book is definitely the funniest structural engineering book I have ever read. It is also useful for the professional, intelligible to the general reader, and attractively illustrated. King includes California's straw bale code, a comprehensive wish list for further testing, and a useful list of references for both stabilized earth and straw bale. Included are equations for the engineer who is ready to start designing right now, and a glossary for the lay reader who isn't quite sure of some of the terms. A valuable book which is also enjoyable to read. This is not always true of engineering texts!