The writing of this book was motivated by a professional need to update changes in the reinforced masonry design philosophy that have occurred as a result of incorporation of strength design philosophy in the 2008 Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures reported by the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (referred to in this book as the MSJC-08 Code) and corresponding requirements of the 2009 International Building Code (2009 IBC), and to update changes brought out by the ASCE/SEI 7-05 Standard, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (referred to in this book as ASCE 7-05 Standard). While the fundamental principles of designing reinforced masonry structures discussed in the first edition (2001) of this book remain valid, revisions in codes, specifications, and reference standards applicable to design and construction of masonry structures that have since occurred required updating that book in the form of this second edition.