In the past, I have reviewed books on generic structural details, most notably Dost and Botsai's Detailing for Performance (see Builder's Library, 5/91), and Ching's Building Construction Illustrated (see Builder's Library, 12/91). Now there's an outstanding new contender for a slot on your bookshelf among the detailing reference manuals: Graphic Guide to Frame Construction, by Oregon architect and builder Rob Thallon. Despite the existence of the earlier books, the author says he couldn't find a comprehensive detail reference book, so he decided to write one. And within his self-set limits he did a fine job. As a reference on wood framing and enclosure details, Graphic Guide is hard to beat. It's very well organized and clearly written, and the illustrations (mostly sections and isometric drawings) are sharp, well annotated, and drawn at a 1-
