For courses in Engineering Graphics/Technical Drawing and Drafting/Technical Sketching. This authoritative text provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to Technical Drawing and provides instruction to help students create 2D drawings by hand or by using Computer-Aided Drafting. It provides excellent technical detail, up-to-date standards, real-world examples and clearly explained theory and techniques
I have absolutely no rational justification for having spent a great deal of time reading (ok, occasionally skimming) this book. I will almost certainly never use the technical skills involved, which have essentially all been replaced by computer-aided design (CAD) programs. Nonetheless, there is something almost meditative about reading how engineers in generations past would put precise drawings to physical paper. They spent years getting good at the physical skills and techniques necessary for doing so. It is somewhat like seeing a blacksmith or bookbinder at work, using obsolete tools with expertise and precision. I cannot recommend it for anyone else's reading pleasure, but I am happy to have found it.