A good textbook should offer a panoramic view of the subject, should be detailed enough to answer most questions in its field (at least partially), and should direct the reader to additional pertinent material. Any who attempt to put together a textbook of great magnitude deserve respect. If they can at the same time accomplish a good outcome, as these editors have done, they deserve congratulations.
This second edition has been amplified to include the latest in technology and gastroenterology as well as discussion of liver transplantation in up-to-date detail. The surgical chapters cover multiple areas clearly, including the frequently overlooked anal-rectal area. Inflammatory bowel disease, medical management, and surgical management are topics to which the editors devote much well-deserved attention.
Every chapter is accompanied by a well-annotated bibliography covering the literature through 1986 and occasionally into 1987. The figures, graphs, and photographs greatly enhance the value of the book,