The need for a textbook on earthquake engineering was first pointed out by the eminent consulting engineer, John R. Freeman (1855–1932). Following the destructive Santa Barbara, California earthquake of 1925, he became interested in the subject and searched the Boston Public Library for relevant books. He found that not only was there no textbook on earthquake engineering, but the subject itself was not mentioned in any of the books on structural engineering. Looking back, we can see that in 1925 engineering education was in an undeveloped state, with computing done by slide rule and curricula that did not prepare the student for understanding structural dynamics. In fact, no instruments had been developed for recording strong ground motions, and society appeared to be unconcerned about earthquake hazards. In recent years books on earthquake engineering and structural dynamics have been published, but the present book by Professor Anil K. Chopra fills a niche that exists between more elementary books and books for advanced graduate studies. The author is a well-known expert in earthquake engineering and structural dynamics, and his book will be valuable to students not only in earthquake-prone regions but also in other parts of the world, for a knowledge of structural dynamics is essential for modern engineering. The book presents material on vibrations and the dynamics of structures and demonstrates the application to structural motions caused by earthquake ground shaking. The material in the book is presented very clearly with numerous worked-out illustrative examples, so that even a student at a university where such a course is not given should be able to study the book on his or her own time. Readers who are now practicing engineering should have no difficulty in studying the subject by means of this book. An especially interesting feature of the book is the application of structural dynamics theory to important issues in the seismic response and design of multistory buildings. The information presented in this book will be of special value to those engineers who are engaged in actual seismic design and want to improve their understanding of the subject. Although the material in the book leads to earthquake engineering, the information presented is also relevant to wind-induced vibrations of structures, as well as man-made motions such as those produced by drop hammers or by heavy vehicular traffic. As a textbook on vibrations and structural dynamics, this book has no competitors and can be recommended to the serious student. I believe that this is the book for which John R. Freeman was searching.