Clark on Surveying

[E_Page]

I posted this on SurveyorConnect (Beer Legs), but apparently, nobody there reads books pertaining to surveying. So I pose the question here.


Have any of you had the opportunity to check out the latest (7th) edition of Clark? If so, is there enough new material over the 5th edition to warrant upgrading one's library?

[E_Page]

Yes. They have very little useful info. Thy also (surprisingly) have outrageously inflated prices for this book ($384).

[Propst]

http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog ... rodId=7679

the 7th ed. is a 1997 publication, so you might want to wait for the 8th edition.

Walt will be in SoCal next week, I'll ask him when the next edition is due out.

I have the 5th as well, and have not looked at the 7th.

[E_Page]

Thanks, Tom. I'd appreciate your checking on that and hold off on a purchase until I hear back from you regarding an upcoming edition.

[Propst]

Even at 80 Walt is able to stand and deliver an informative and entertaining eight hour seminar. He's as sharp as ever, with plenty of give and take and lots of good information. He and PESI put together a nice bound handout of 61 pages which would make a nice resource for anyone who prepares land descriptions. It includes portions of other publications such as "Report 4: Metes and Bounds Descriptions" as well as original material.

There were about 25 surveyors in attendance.

As to "Clark", Walt said he and the publisher (Lexis) are discussing a new edition, and possibly issuing it as two volumes, one for public land states, and another for non-public land states. Feel free to contact him with your opinion on whether you think that would be a good or bad idea. I think it would be very difficult to accomplish, but would probably make for a more handy reference.
Anyway, with discussions on the next edition being in such a early stage, I wouldn't expect anything to come out of them for at least 4 years.
The current (7th) edition will include the latest supplement, so it will be "up to date". I've got the 4th and 5th, but now that you mention it Evan, I might pick up a 7th edition as well. I like the idea of the supplemental update keeping it current.

A couple of quotes from the seminar:
His philosophy while at Dept of Agriculture: "How can people manage land if they dont know where the boundaries are?"
"We live on the verge of litigation all the time."
"People live on words"
"Our job as surveyors is to tell a story, the attorney's job is to make the story believable."
"Surveyors carry an awe of respectability" - meant as a warning as to what you tell your client, e.g. don't give legal advice
"Not the only way, if you find a better way let me know." - in reference to the handout on description preparation.

We went over a number of cases, including Bryant v. Blevins, Chandler v. Hibberd, and others.

Walt also gave out copies of a very nice reprint of A.C. Mulford's "Boundaries and Landmarks - A Practical Manual". It's much nicer than the copy I found on-line. He also mentioned that he will provide a copy free to any graduating senior in a surveying program, just let him know who and where.

Altogether it was well worthwhile and Walt is as good or better than when I first attended a seminar of his 24 years ago.

[E_Page]

Thanks for the update, Tom. I guess I will go ahead and get the 7th.

[Tom Herrin]

A word of warning on ordering from Lexisnexis. I ordered the seventh edition from them a couple of years ago, and it turned out to be a 'subscription' of sorts. I received an 'update' to the book about a year after I got the original book, and was sent an invoice for an additional $116 (same price I paid for the original book). I returned the update and the invoice was rescinded, but I remember this being a bit of a hassle to resolve at the time.

The seventh edition has an original copyright date of 1997, mine came with a '2006 cummulative update' when I got it back in 2006 or 2007. It has been a useful reference at times as it is quite different from Brown and/or Skelton.

[E_Page]

Thanks for the warning, Tom. I just ordered from Larry Phipps at Land Surveyors Workshops. I don't need a yearly update, at least not at that price. I've ordered from Larry before with good results.