This primer is an introduction to the subject. It's a primer in the classic sense that it is a small introductory book. But we would also like to think of it in the sense of "priming a pump" - a primer to start architects thinking about this subject of earthquakes as architects. We ought to know how our engineering colleagues view the structural design issues for earthquake resistance, but we don't need to know how to do the complex calculations that result from this point of view - unless we are actually involved in designing a buildings structural system. This primer's basic purposes are: a) To develop a national awareness among the members of the architectural profession that earthquakes can and do occur east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; how life can be threatened; and that buildings can be significantly damaged by earthquakes. b) To help architects further understand the nature of earthquakes and the basic response of buildings to these unique forces. c) To emphasize how architectural planning and design affects the performance of buildings under earthquake conditions. d) To provide architects from geographical regions of varying degrees of seismic activity with a vocabulary with which to talk to their clients and engineers about seismic resistance of buildings and their components. e) To encourage further in-depth study on the part of the architectural profession into the areas of building performance and seismic response.