Coastal Engineering, 1 (1977) 285

© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

Book Review

Port Engineering. P. Bruun. Gulf Publishing Co., Texas, 2nd ed., 1976, 586 pp.

For those readers who are n o t familiar with the first edition of this book,
Prof. Bruun first discusses m o d e m trends in port engineering followed by
several chapters treating port navigation, breakwaters and jetties, wharves,
quays, fenders, dolphins, etc. Next he deals with the various port transpor-
tation systems. This is followed by three chapters on littoral drift and estuarine
sedimentation problems, coastal geomorphology and tidal inlets. The final
two chapters treat dredging technology along with fishing and small craft
harbours. There are also seven appendices written b y eminent specialists on
piles, bulkheads, ship berthing, tracers, containers, wave forces on vertical
walls and fishing harbour planning.
The second edition expands and updates the first edition of the book,
adding a considerable volume (150 pages) of recent or previously overlooked
research and developments. As with the first edition Prof. Bruun, with his
wide experience in the field of port engineering, simply provides a topical
framework for previously published research as well as for practical develop-
ments. Thus the b o o k is more like a reference b o o k than a t e x t b o o k and re-
sembles an orderly set of files on the subject. Because of this format the
author could update his b o o k without becoming involved in a major rewrite
and as far as I can see, he could put o u t many more similar editions, each up-
dating the previous one without changing the essential format.
One of the very strong points of this b o o k is its examples. All discussions
are supported b y many diagrams and photographs while all designs and lay-
outs are amply exemplified by case studies of existing or proposed facilities.
Sometimes the illustrations are of inferior quality because they are simply
copied from other publications. Nevertheless they serve their purpose as il-
lustration of the text admirably.
The book's major shortcoming is the poor editing it received. Many of the
errors both in the text and the equations of the first edition were simply
carried forward into this edition and new errors were added in the additional
material.
The net result of Prof. Bruun's efforts is a valuable practical reference b o o k
for the practising engineer as well as the professor and his students and its
second edition provides valuable additional material.

J.W. KAMPHUIS
(Kingston, Ont.)