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Ralph Morton and Andrew Ross
Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, UK; 2008:
ISBN 978-1-4051-5943-2
; 240pp; £19.99; paperback
Ralph Morton's (2002) classic has been expertly updated by Andrew Ross in its second edition and now includes the latest DTI statistics as well as an examination of the effectiveness of post-Egan initiatives and other useful additions such as the influence of European initiatives, the increasing impact of IT, sustainability and the increasing skills gap.
The book aims to help students gain a broad appreciation of the construction industry in the UK and is therefore relevant to all the construction industry disciplines. In a recent straw poll among senior architectural students and staff, I discovered that none had heard of the book. This is most regrettable as it is particularly architecture students who would benefit from a better understanding of their industry. The publishers will, no doubt, wish to remedy this gap in their market.
Ralph Morton was an excellent economist and teacher. He lectured on economics and the social aspects of architecture at the former Liverpool Polytechnic and was later appointed professor and director of the School of the Built Environment at Liverpool John Moores University.
Although the content of the book is excellent, its layout and graphic design leave a lot to be desired. Its editing seems to have been rushed as it contains a large number of printing errors.
One of...