Although engineering activities involving rock have been underway for millennia, we can mark the beginning of the modern era from the year 1962 when the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) was formally established in Salzburg, Austria. Since that time, both rock engineering itself and the associated rock mechanics research have increased in activity by leaps and bounds, so much so that it is difficult for an engineer or researcher to be aware of all the emerging developments, especially since the information is widely spread in reports, magazines, journals, books and the internet. It is appropriate, if not essential, therefore that periodically an easily accessible structured survey should be made of the currently available knowledge. Thus, we are most grateful to Professor Xia-Ting Feng and his team, and to the Taylor & Francis Group, for preparing this extensive 2017 “Rock Mechanics and Engineering” compendium outlining the state of the art—and which is a publication fitting well within the Taylor & Francis portfolio of ground engineering related titles. <...>
