Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics, 10th Edition Paperback – 23 Sept. 2021

Over the years I’ve read many textbooks on diverse subjects but I haven’t read a better one in terms of conciseness and clarity. The fully worked examples are also a very good way of explaining how to perform the necessary calculations. I’m not saying the book is perfect but I can’t see there being a better introduction to soil mechanics.If you have more time and want a second text I’d recommend Terzaghi, Peck and Mesri. This isn’t as concise or clear, nor is it as relevant outside North America (nor as up to date) but it does provide more background on some topics.

I found this book's approach to some of the topic I've read before very interesting. The author has approached each topic from a very practical point of view enabling the reader to quickly see the real-world application and importance of the concepts. The authors present a couple of examples after each major concept to consolidated the ideas and at the end of each chapter a few exercises (say 5-8) with answers are provided with I think is a great way to finish a topic as you could check your level of understanding.