4specs.com    4specs.com Home Page

Historical Perspective Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

4specs Discussion Forum » Archive - Specifications Discussions #4 » Historical Perspective « Previous Next »

Author Message
Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA
Senior Member
Username: don_harris

Post Number: 221
Registered: 03-2003
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 12:01 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Hopefully I'm not repeating something that everyone already knows, but
www.archive.org has an amazing collection of old scanned books. I took
the reference list from Ralph's referenced article and came up with the
following links. Some interesting stuff.

Bartholomew, Alfred (1840), Specifications for practical architecture,
John Williams & Co., London.
http://www.archive.org/details/specificationsf00bartgoog

http://www.archive.org/details/specificationsf01bartgoog (1886
Second Edition)

Bower, W. Frank (1896), Specifications, USA.
http://www.archive.org/details/specificationspr00bowerich

Dobson, Edward (1849), Rudiments of the art of building, Weale, London.
http://www.archive.org/details/rudimentsofartof00dobsrich

International Correspondence Schools (1900), Question paper:
Specifications, The Colliery Engineer Company, Scranton, USA.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=international%20correspondence%2
0schools
(Not the exact book, but an interesting series)

Kirby, Richard Shelton (1913), The elements of specification writing - A
text-book for students in civil engineering, John Wiley & Sons, New
York. http://www.archive.org/details/elementsofspecif00kirbrich

Leaning, John (1901), Building specifications for the use of architects,
surveyors, builders, &c., B.T. Batsford, London.
http://www.archive.org/details/buildingspecific00leanuoft

Macey, Frank (1898), Specifications in detail, E & FN Spon, London.
http://www.archive.org/details/specificationsin00macerich

Wightwick, George (1847), Hints to young architects, together with a
model specification, New York & London.
http://www.archive.org/details/hintstoyoungarc00wighgoog

Enjoy
Phil Kabza
Senior Member
Username: phil_kabza

Post Number: 387
Registered: 12-2002


Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 10:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Don,
What an amazing resource.

I think I've run into the 1913 specs from some of our region's civil engineers. I wondered where they got them.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration