Dynamics of structures. Theory and applications to earthquake engineering / Динамика структур. Теория и ее применение в сейсмотехнике

The need for a textbook on earthquake engineering was first pointed out by the eminent consulting engineer, John R. Freeman (1855-1932). Following the destructive Santa Barbara, California earthquake of 1925, he became interested in the subject and searched the Boston Public Library for relevant books. He found that not only was there no textbook on earthquake engineering, but the subject itself was not mentioned in any of the books on structural engineering. Looking back, we can see that in 1925 engineering education was in an undeveloped state with computing done by slide rule and curricula that did not prepare the student for understanding structural dynamics. In fact, no instruments had been developed for recording strong ground motions, and society appeared to be unconcerned about earthquake hazards. <...>