The misnamed book is anything but a short practice of surgery. It may be short compared to the Oxford Textbook of Surgery, which has now blossomed to 3 volumes, however Bailey & Love’s is a very large single volume tomb covering the full range of clinical aspects of surgery.

The first edition was published in 1932. This is the 24th edition of this book, so it was with delight that I looked for my copy of the book and found that I had the 19th edition. It was with interest that I compared the evolution of this text.

The book has 81 chapters by 90 contributors. The editors are very well known in their fields. RCG Russell is best known for his upper Gastrointestinal work (interestingly, nowhere in the book is RCG Russell’s first name used, it is not listed unlike everyone else’s, so one is left wondering if he dislikes his first name); Norman Williams for his pioneering colorectal work; and Chris Bulstrode is professor of Orthopaedics in Oxford.

The contents of the chapters are excellent, and well arranged and presented. The book is focused on the clinical aspects of surgery—i.e. clinical signs and features. The contents are up-to-date and a delight to read. In the typical fashion of earlier editions this book is fun to read and uses English that is easy to follow and understand. The presentation of the book is of high standard; it is hard covered and well-bound—and has good quality paper as well as excellent photographs and pictures that have evolved over the editions.

This book is suitable for medical students and surgical trainees alike. It is the sort of book some consultants still use when they need.

In summary, this is an excellent book, which is up-to-date, entertaining to read, and easy to understand. The present editors are to be congratulated on their continued evolution of this famous text.