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Title: B-14: History of Concrete Bibliography - 30BC to 1926AD

Author(s): ACI Committee 120

Publication: Technical Documents

Volume:

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 110

Keywords:

Date: 1/1/1982

Abstract:

Note: B-14 is only available in PDF format.

The Committee on the History of Concrete seeks to promote a lively 7 interest in the history of concrete amongst the members of the American Concrete Institute and the public a t large. In an effort to carry out this responsibility the committee has sponsored a symposium on the history of concrete, published a volume entitled , A Selection of Historic American Papers on Concrete: 1876-1926, SP-52, and been instrumental in having papers published on the subject. We have also designated our first national landmark, the Ward House i n Rye, N.Y. Despite our committee activities , we felt , nevertheless, this relatively new but very important aspect of the history of technology lacked serious scholarly research. Thus, it was felt that the most important contribution the committee could make was the preparation of an annotated bibliography to aid those interested in historical research. This project was begun during a period when many were preparing for the celebration of the United States Bicentennial in 1976. The year 1976 brought to fruition an amazing number of projects dealing with the history of the nation. Although not a Bicentennial project we used the same criteria established in many of these projects, namely, to consider only references and events which were at least 50 years old. This allows one to have some distance from the subject and thus, hopefully, a more objective evaluation of the history involved. It also avoids possible conflicts with an assessment of the lives and works of Y leading engineers still in practice. Thus, for primary sources we used 1926 as the cutoff date. Later works on the history of concrete were, however, included since they were considered to be secondary sources. In order to make the project manageable many references of only peripheral interest were not included. To avoid capricious judgments the decision to include a particular reference was reviewed by each member of the team. For future editions we would be most grateful for readers to call our attention to additions or corrections which would improve the bibliography. To aid in research we have given a brief annotation, together with known locations in the United States for each entry and for selected periodical publications. This annotated bibliography was proposed as a contribution to the American Concrete Institute's Diamond Jubilee. In publishing such a work, one is quite aware that a bibliography is never really definitive and there are references which have been overlooked. Thus, a bibliographer's work is never done! Nevertheless, the committee hopes this is a suitable and lasting memorial to the American Concrete Institute and its first 75 years.