During many years as resident physician, private practitioner, and educator in otorhinolaryngology, I have found the textbook by Ballenger to be a frequently used and reliable reference source. The latest—14th—edition updates and expands the treatise begun in 1908 by the editor's great-uncle.
Forty-nine authors representing 15 medical schools, research institutions, and private practice have contributed to this edition (15 more than the previous edition). Information pertinent to all facets of modern otolaryngology-head and neck surgery is presented in a style similar to the previous edition, in six sections with 68 chapters. A better format and improved publication techniques, including larger pages and wider spacing between letters and lines (but an essentially unchanged number of words per page), improve clarity of print and promote readability but add a pound of weight to this tome. Reproduction quality of artists' drawings and photographs is generally improved as compared with the 13th edition. Subsections