This conceptual introduction to architectural structures covers all the basic structural principles and terms, explains how to use statistics of equilibrium formulae to calculate beam reactions, and employs illustrations and multi-exposure model photographs to provide a compelling overall guide to structural behavior. Also distinguishing this guide from many others on the market are its case studies and useful preliminary sizing data.
I wanted to get a basic understanding of how buildings stand up and the book does a good job of laying that out. I stopped when I had read what I needed for my purposes.