The Sixth Edition of Designing with Geosynthetics has just been released. Each of the two volumes is available for just USD $34 (hardcover) or USD $24 (softcover). Dr. Koerner utilized an independent publishing service to bring this larger and much more affordable edition into the world. |
Thirty years ago, while contemplating Designing With Geosynthetics, I never dreamed that there would be a sixth edition; yet, here we are–but not without some major changes. Back then, I had experience with writing textbooks for all of the major technical book publications (John Wiley and Sons, McGraw-Hill and Prentice-Hall) and decided on the latter which today is Pearson Publishing Co. It was a good experience since their editors were fully familiar with technical books containing figures, tables, example problems, S.I. units, equations, Greek symbols, etc. The typed manuscripts always came out in book published form looking fantastic. They also had a sales department which visited all colleges and universities greatly aiding in the adoption process.
As with many cutting-edge technical areas (geosynthetics being no exception) new information and products required revisions and successive editions followed with the status of all previous editions being as follows:
- Edition 1 (1986) – 424 pages. Sales: 3197
- Edition 2 (1990) – 652 pages. Sales: 2645
- Edition 3 (1994) – 783 pages. Sales: 4686
- Edition 4 (1998) – 761 pages. Sales: 5460
- Edition 5 (2005) – 796 pages. Sales: 3500
Two years ago, however, I was informed by the book publisher that sales were insufficient for a sixth edition. This was a surprise since plans were already underway! Since the price was $150 per copy, however, I rationalized that a different publisher might even be an advantage.
After searching for online electronic and self-publishing outlets, I decided on the Xlibris Company which appears to specialize in biographies and autobiographies and, as such, is very low-cost in that it prints its book orders on-demand.
The new sixth edition manuscript was sent to the publisher on 5 April 2011 with the hope that it would be ready for the Fall academic year. However, surprises were immediate. One was that Xlibris’ books are smaller in size than a standard engineering textbook and would require two separate volumes. As it has come to be, there are four chapters in each volume:
- Vol. 1 – Geosynthetics, Geotextiles, Geogrids and Geonets
- Vol. 2 – Geomembranes, Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Geofoam and Geocomposites
Another surprise is that their editors were completely unfamiliar with analytical and technical presentations.
Each volume has been proofread five-times and the end result is yet to be seen. I certainly hope for the best in this regard. One issue, however, is that the book prices are very low!
- Hardbound: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 ~ $34.00
- Softbound: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 ~ $24.00
As with all previous editions there are homework problems at the end of each chapter and a solutions manual is available for those interested, e.g., faculty teaching a geosynthetics course. I would estimate that 20% is new from the previous edition particularly the inclusion of failure situations (and their avoidance), sustainability information, new products and recent references.
Regarding adoption, faculty will have to work through the publisher directly, while individuals can order through the general on-line book sellers. When the book becomes available (hopefully) in January 2012 we will make attempts for wider distribution through organizations and societies. It is hoped that the success of previous editions extends into this sixth edition as well.
Dr. Robert M. Koerner, P.E., is the Director of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI). This introduction was published originally in the GSI Newsletter (December 2011).
