Entry Level Book Recommendation

When you say 'the basics' are you referring to the math, or knowing how to swing a hammer, level a tripod over a point, tie nails, cut line, run a total station, load and build a job in a data collector from a file provided by the office or create it yourself?

There is so much not taught in any type of book, so I'm not sure that a book is what you need to start with.  I was a college graduate and worked in main frame computers before i started leveling a gravity meter using GPS for data collection, and never had a book.  Maybe theres a market for a great field primer, although each practioner has her/his ways and the data collectors and software are so different from vendor to vendor. 

Great question, not sure there is a great entry level "How to Survey" book.

My $0.02  ymmv.

Almost any "Elementary Surveying" book will do.  The basics will be covered and for those who want to learn more it too will be available.  If you can find a professional surveyor to highlight what you would need first that would simplify what to study.  I taught in community colleges out of the Wolf & Ghilani series and assigned reading only what I thought was minimal, but the advanced stuff was there for learning later.

One of the most popular is Wolf and Ghilani. Editions come out every few years, usually with modest changes, so one or two editions back is nearly as good and much cheaper.

Although I was very disappointed to see astronomical methods nearly disappear a few editions back.

Thanks guys. I'm going to look into Wolf & Ghilani. Looking for something to sort of supplement the mentoring and training we do day to day, I get asked a lot for suggestions on what books can I be reading or is there training/webinars I can be looking at and I haven't had a great answer. It was mostly on the job for me and I got lucky with good mentors whose shoes I'm trying to fill. But yeah maybe something that explains and shows what a traverse is, what's happening when we set zero on a backsite and its relation to the coordinates derived, equipment, background on historical methods, some basic math, etc, what's happening with the buttons they're pushing. A book we can keep a few copies of around the office.

We have a young man whose a junior in highschool whom a local contractor sent our direction, hoping to get some job shadowing and maybe an intern going and maybe we'll get another surveyor into the world. So a book recommendation for guys like him, hopefully theres more of him to come in the future with the outreach I'd like to do, in addition to the schools and some background I plan to share with him. 

About time to head down for the lsaw conference.

Something like this Survey Reference Manual might be a good choice. 

Elementary Surveying is over a thousand pages. Its quite imposing for a beginner. Survey Reference Manual is also quite a load.  I have a text from 1942, "Surveying" by Charles Breed. A 4"x6" book about an inch thick. Totally obsolete today, except for the chapter on PLSS which is excellent, so I'm not recommending it.  But it is a shame that a book of this size and scope is not available today. 

You might consider the USACE manual here: https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerManuals/EM_1110-1-1005.pdf?ver=7p8yphfzUR5LZG5faL9R9A%3d%3d

Or others linked from here: https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/usace-publications/engineer-manuals/

But it is a shame that a book of this size and scope is not available today. 

You made me look.  I thought I might have that book as well, but mine are a couple of smaller books like that by George D. Whitmore from the 1940s.  "City Surveying" and a series of "Surveying - {Roman Numeral}"

mine are a couple of smaller books like that by George D. Whitmore from the 1940s.  "City Surveying" and a series of "Surveying - {Roman Numeral}"

Sounds like some of the old "International Correspondence School" books. I have a few of those, I think one may be "City Surveying". 

Get a write in the rain book

At the top of the first page write

Sta    Bs+   Hi   Fs-      Ifs-       Elev

Have them reference that first page till they got it

And it helps to draw them a picture of a level and a rod so they can get that you start at an elevation, add the backside and subtract foresites and intermediate foresight back to ground elevation so i clicks in their head what is actually going on in the real world. Math alone is only grasped by a few and usually not new field crew.

Good list going on here.  But may not be survey related but it will help anyone at any level in a career is “Who Moved My Cheese”.  The reason is things management leadership strategy will change and this 30 minute read is a laugh and relatively accurate for those things that will happen. I was reminded tonight that Geodesy for the Laymen is a great book. I am a little slow but read it several times in my early years and still like to resort to it. Tell them they might not understand all of it but read it re read it and it will eventually click.  I always liked the history books for surveying. Made me appreciate the technology we have today and gave a great understanding of how they worked many years ago.  Not always have surveyors measured on a horizontal plane. Many boundaries were measured along the ground slope distance. So good information to know.  

I would start by getting a copy of the FS Practice Exam from NCEES. 

Fundamentals of Surveying Practice Exam · Exam Prep · MyNCEES Account

which you can preview here:

Microsoft Word - FS-Practice Exam_06-6

Go all the way through it, noting the things you are currently dealing with at work or want to know more about. Then research them on the internet or buy one of the excellent textbooks listed above.

Starting with the problems can be an effective short cut for beginning a life-long study.

Sounds like some of the old "International Correspondence School" books. I have a few of those, I think one may be "City Surveying". 

I didn't find any specific mention of "International Correspondence School", here is the inside title page with publisher data.

Wikipedia:

The International Textbook Company (I.T.C.) was founded in 1895 by publisher Thomas J. Foster in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1] I.T.C. published instructional papers, booklets, and textbooks for the International Correspondence Schools, a subsidiary department. The textbook company and the school were dependent on each other since their founding.

@bill93 Thanks Bill.  So Mark was spot on in his assessment.

I bought that book along with several other older texts when a really good fellow named Jack Williams passed many many years ago.