Book excerpt: Now in its second edition, this book provides a practical guide to measured building surveys with special emphasis on recording the fabric of historic buildings. It includes two new chapters dealing with modern survey practice using instruments and photographic techniques, as well as a chapter examining recording methods as used on a specific project case study undertaken by the Museum of London Archaeology Service. Measured surveys for producing accurate scaled drawings of buildings and their immediate surroundings may be undertaken for a variety of reasons. The principal ones are to provide a historic record, and to form the base drawings upon which a proposed programme of works involving repairs, alterations, adaptations or extensions can be prepared. This book provides a practical guide to preparing measured surveys of historic buildings, with special emphasis on recording the fabric. The text assumes little previous knowledge of surveying and begins by describing basic measuring techniques before introducing elementary surveying and levelling. From these principles, the practices and techniques used to measure and record existing buildings are developed in a detailed step-by-step approach, covering sketching, measuring, plotting and drawing presentation. For this new edition the text on hand survey methods has been revised to note where new techniques and equipment can be incorporated, as well as explaining where more advanced survey methods may be best used to advantage. Information on locating early maps and plans, aerial photography and its uses, documentary research, procurement of surveys and conventional photography has been incorporated at various points as appropriate. In addition, Ross Dallas provides two new chapters dealing with modern survey practice using instruments and photographic techniques. Also, the opportunity has been taken to present a wider view of building recording projects by including a new chapter from the Museum of London Archaeological Service (MoLAS) building recording team. It encompasses their five key principles for recording within an illustrative case study.