"An insightful study of how Thoreau's profession as a surveyor impacts his environmental sensibility and informs his literary works; further, Chura shows that the manuscript surveys and corresponding field notes are themselves worthy of literary analysis. "--Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, coeditor of More Day to Dawn: Thoreau's Walden for the Twenty-first Century "Chura's thorough understanding of the cultural import and physical practice of 19th-century surveying provides a fresh and interesting perspective on Thoreau's life and works. . . . .He combines a spry writing style with meticulous research in this delightful book, which introduces readers to another side of Thoreau's life and thought. Highly recommended." --G. D. MacDonald, Virginia State University "Most books about Henry David Thoreau focus on his writing, philosophy, or literary vision, paying little attention to how he made a living while engaged in such transcendentalist pursuits. In Thoreau the Land Surveyor, Patrick Chura corrects this oversight." --Lorianne DiSabato, The New England Quarterly "A scholarly book that's as beautiful as it is unput-downable. . . Not only is Chura a fine writer here, he is one heck of a historian. He enriches every page with carefully considered research. . . .I loved this book from start to finish." --Mike Tidwell, author of The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Sojourn. "An insightful study of how Thoreau's profession as a surveyor impacts his environmental sensibility and informs his literary works; further, Chura shows that the manuscript surveys and corresponding field notes are themselves worthy of literary analysis. "This book on the significance of land surveying to Henry Thoreau's writing is one that we have long needed. Chura's practical experience as a surveyor combined with his literary scholarship makes him the perfect person to write it."--Richard J. Schneider, editor ofHenry David Thoreau: A Documentary Volume Henry David Thoreau, one of America's most prominent environmental writers, supported himself as a land surveyor for much of his life, parceling land that would be sold off to loggers. In the only study of its kind, Patrick Chura analyzes this seeming contradiction to show how the best surveyor in Concord combined civil engineering with civil disobedience. Placing Thoreau's surveying in historical context, Thoreau the Land Surveyor explains the cultural and ideological implications of surveying work in the mid-nineteenth century. Chura explains the ways that Thoreau's environmentalist disposition and philosophical convictions asserted themselves even as he reduced the land to measurable terms and acted as an agent for bringing it under proprietary control. He also describes in detail Thoreau's 1846 survey of Walden Pond. By identifying the origins of Walden in--of all places--surveying data, Chura re-creates a previously lost supporting manuscript of this American classic.

This book is a must for anyone who works with or writes legal descriptions. Each of the fourteen chapters is structured for the self teaching student or for class participation. Each chapter concludes with assignments, exercises, questions and answers. Supported by extensive court citations, the author presents the material in a concise style which can be understood by the student, practitioner or attorney. The text is supported by samples, recommended forms and extensive illustrations.

This is a book about boundary surveying. It is written for anyone who is interested in how surveys are performed. The book is also for land surveying students who are interested in developing an overall view of how land surveyors go about surveying a parcel of land. It will provide the reader with a background on boundary surveying techniques and some of the common legal issues which govern boundary establishment. The book is designed to acquaint people who are not land surveyors with the principles used by land surveyors to establish boundary lines. The information in this book will be useful to home owners, real estate agents, attorneys, engineers, city planners, building officials, students, bankers, title researchers, GIS practitioners and others. I hope this book will be an important resource for those who have questions relating to boundaries and land surveying in general. There is an enlarged second edition of this book available.

The Surveyor Reference Manual is the most comprehensive reference and study guide available for surveyors preparing for the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam. New chapters on aerial mapping and hydrographic surveying have been added to this edition, and chapters on map projections and state plane coordinate systems, water boundaries, and riparian and littoral rights have been significantly revised. Everything you Need to Succeed on the FS exam A complete introduction to the exam, including the format and content More than 190 solved example problems and 365 additional practice problems Complete step-by-step solutions for every practice problem A full glossary of terms "The Land Surveyor Reference Manual successfully prepared me for the exam and is now the backbone of my reference collection." -J. Forest McKenzie II, E.I.T., L.S.I.T. Civil Designer ADC Engineering, Inc.