Given the predominence of residual soils in the under-developed parts of the United States and the Southern Hemisphere, and the increasing rate of new construction in these regions, the understanding of residual soils is expected to increase in importance in the coming years. Drawing on the author's thirty years of practical experience, this is the first textbook to provide equal treatment to both sedimentary and residual soils, and the unique engineering properties of both. It presents the fundamentals of soil mechanics from a geotechnical engineering perspective, pointing to the simularities between soil types and, more importantly, the differences. Numerous worked problems demonstrate the differences between sedimentary and residual soil, while numerous end of chapter exercises supported by an online solutions manual provide hands-on practice.