Geotechnical News • June 2019
25
professional writer and it shows. The
text is well written, without using a lot
of technical jargon. The first sentence
of the first chapter drew me in. “It
all started with a dog. Like many
great stories, this one started with a
dog.” I understand that the book also
benefited from the careful review and
written contributions by some of the
JDMA staff.
Quotes from Jack, from most of the
other JDMA staff, and from some
former staff are sprinkled liberally
throughout the book. The author
makes good use of side bars to further
develop some associated topics and
to introduce us to some of the back-
ground characters. I enjoyed both the
quotes and the side bars as they added
more technical information while, at
the same time, gave the text a more
personal touch.
The book was professionally designed
and produced by Catharine Bradbury,
and has a very appealing appearance.
A minor flaw, in my opinion, was the
choice of font used. For example, I
found it difficult to differentiate the
letter “el” (lower case L) from paren-
theses marks. The book has a stunning
cover and many stunning photographs.
The selection and quality of a few of
the other photographs let me down.
My minor criticisms do not take away
from the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed
reading
How We Saw It
. I believe
it succeeded in its stated purpose.
It would be an enjoyable read for
anyone interested in: the history of the
geotechnical professional in Canada;
interested in finding out why JDMA
has been so successful over the past 60
years (and will continue to be success-
ful); and/or interested in learning what
interesting projects a consulting geo-
logical engineering and environmental
firm can get involved in, and how the
work is done.
I am only aware of one other Cana-
dian geotechnical company that has
published a similar book. In the 1990s
Klohn Leonoff Consulting Engineers
(Leonoff 1994) produced a similar
book to celebrate its 40 years in opera-
tion. It might be worthwhile for other
Canadian geotechnical companies to
take up the challenge!
How We Saw It
is available from
J.D. Mollard and Associates (2010)
Limited, 1720-2002 Victoria Avenue,
Regina, SK, S4P 0R7
) … a mere 3-minute walk
from where Jack started his company
in 1956).
Reference: Leonoff, Cyril E. 1994. A
Dedicated Team, Klohn Leonoff
Consulting Engineers, 1951-1991,
Klohn Leonoff Ltd., 252 p.
Doug VanDine,
VanDine Geological Engineering
Limited, Victoria, BC
Cover image.
BOOK REVIEW
