Principles of Foundation Engineering and Principles of Geotechnical Engineering were originally published with 1984 and 1985 copyrights, respectively. These texts were well received by instructors, students, and practitioners alike. Depending on the needs of the users, the texts were revised and are presently in their eighth editions. These texts have also been translated in several languages. Toward the latter part of 1998, there were several requests to prepare a single volume that was concise in nature but combined the essential components of Principles of Foundation Engineering and Principles of Geotechnical Engineering. In response to those requests, the first edition of Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering was published in 2000. This text includes the fundamental concepts of soil mechanics as well as foundation engineering, including bearing capacity and settlement of shallow foundations spread footings and mats), retaining walls, braced cuts, piles, and drilled shafts.